** This was first published on All Things Valley League **

By John Leonard

As we continue to steam towards the end of the regular season, five games were played last night. Some good pitching, some good hitting, another Mercy Rule application… lots to get to!

Results

-Staunton 5, Waynesboro 2- Boxscore is fixed- no, the game was not a double-complete game!
-Front Royal 5, Strasburg 0- The Cardinals continue to make a case for a playoff spot.
-Winchester 11, Purcellville 10- The Royals play the most interesting games. The squad was down 9-1 after four last night, and came roaring back to win.
-Charlottesville 11, Harrisonburg 1- Bet you never heard this before- Charlottesville ended the game on a walk-off Mercy Rule hit-by-pitch. So far: Charlottesville Mercy Rule wins- 2; the rest of the league- 0.
-New Market 5, Woodstock 4- New Market tightens the North playoff race!

Hitter of the Day

The HOD is Winchester’s Nate Furman, from UNC Charlotte, who went 2-3, with three runs scored, two walks, a double, two stolen bases, and an RBI. Furman’s been tearing it up all summer; he’s hitting .436/.585/.628 in 78 at-bats, with 32 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, two home runs, 25 walks and only 12 strikeouts, and 22 stolen bases. He’s first in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, and stolen bases; second in runs scored and walks, and fifth in slugging.

Others of Note

-Ian Diaz, Staunton: 1-2, two walks
-Graham Brown, Strasburg: 0-1, three walks, two stolen bases
-Jack Hicks, Purcellville: 1-4, run, RBI, two walks
-Christian Collier, Purcellville: 2-3, two runs, walk
-Matt Stinebiser, Purcellville: 3-5, two runs, four RBIs, two doubles
-Austin Bulman, Winchester: 1-3, two runs, two RBIs, two walks
-Ihosvany Castaneda, Winchester: 2-3, three runs, walk, two stolen bases
-Eddie Eisert, Charlottesville: 2-4, run, two RBIs, stolen base
-Rafael Ochoa, Charlottesville: 1-2, two runs, two RBIs, two walks
-Brayland Skinner, Charlottesville: 2-4, two runs, triple, two stolen bases
-Jacob Starling, New Market: 3-5, run, RBI, double, stolen base

Pitcher of the Day

Our pitcher of the day is Waynesboro’s Deven Judy, who fired five one-hit, shutout innings in middle relief last night against Staunton. He allowed one walk and struck out seven. From Gannon, Judy is now 0-0, 3.37, with 19 K’s in 16 innings pitched this summer. He’s no stranger to the VBL; he was the league’s 12th best starter in 2019.

Others of Note

-Ty Barker, Staunton: Four innings, four hits, one run, two walks, two K’s
-Jack Masloff, Staunton: Three innings, one hit, no runs, one walk, four K’s, save
-Daniel Ouderkirk, Strasburg: Four innings, one hit, one run, four walks, five K’s, loss
-Joseph Marino, Front Royal: Five innings, one hit, no runs, two walks, seven K’s, win (GS: 70)
-Chad Cwik, Staunton: Two innings, one hit, no runs, one walk, no K’s
-Danny Kirwin, Front Royal: Two innings, one hit, no runs, one walk, one K, save
-Garrett Payne, Charlottesville: Three innings, no hits, no runs, one walk, two K’s
-Chase Centala, Charlottesville: Two innings, two hits, no runs, two walks, one K, win
-Parker Stinnett, Charlottesville: Two innings, one hit, no runs, no walks, four K’s
-Reed Mascolo, New Market: Six innings, six hits, three runs, one walk, five K’s
-Brandon Haggerty, Woodstock: Six innings, six hits, two runs, none earned, no walks, four K’s (GS: 60)

Tonight’s Games

-New Market at Front Royal 7 PM
-Woodstock at Purcellville 7 PM- Assuming no rain, I’ll finally be attending a game at Fireman’s Field!
-Winchester vs Strasburg 7 PM
-Staunton vs Harrisonburg 7:30 PM