CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Charlottesville Tom Sox fell to the Staunton Braves 10-4 on Friday night, moving to 11-6 on the season.
The game started well for the Tom Sox with Noah Overton (UNC Wilmington) striking out the first three batters in the top of the first, but his pitching took a turn for the worse at the top of the second. Staunton took advantage of his mistakes, with Ian Diaz scoring on an error before a Cole Ragone RBI single plated Joseph Holiga. Holiga drove in a run of his own in the third, knocking in Ryan McCarty on an RBI double to left.
Carter Spivey (East Carolina) came in to pitch for the ‘Sox in the fourth, allowing no hits, no runs, and one walk in three innings of work. He also struck out three hitters, playing a crucial role in slowing down Staunton, but Charlottesville continued to struggle, finishing the game with a season-high five errors. Charlottesville struggled bringing runners in, frequently leaving three on base through the four innings.
In the seventh inning, Will Morrison (Auburn) entered the mound with unearned runs coming in from Bren Taylor and Ryan McCarty off a fielder’s choice and error, respectively.
Charlottesville finally got on the board in the bottom of the seventh, with Logan Amiss (VCU) running home after a series of wild pitches by Brayden Siren. The runs continued with Makenzie Pate (Coastal Carolina) capitalizing on a dropped third strike by Braves catcher Luke Lindamood.
Will Morrison failed to get out of the eighth, walking Bren Taylor with the bases loaded to bring home another Staunton run. Gabe Jennings scored another run on a sacrifice fly from McCarty. New Tom Sox addition Garrett Wright (TCU) entered the game, but the flame-thrower struggled to find the strike zone. Ian Diaz hit a long triple to right, bringing in Joseph Delossantos and Bren Taylor and making the score 9-2.
Andrew Ward (VCU) came in for Charlottesville in the ninth, striking out the side. The Tom Sox attempted a comeback in the bottom half, with Amiss and Pate bringing in runs on a Staunton error and wild pitch, respectively, but it was not enough to cut the gap.
This is Charlottesville’s second straight loss to Staunton, but they will have a chance at redemption in Staunton on July 9th. Until then, the next matchup for the Tom Sox will be Sunday, June 27th, with a doubleheader against Strasburg, starting at 5pm. Admission is free all season courtesy of Carter Bank and Trust.
Additional Notes
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Gehrig Ebel (Virginia Tech) extended his reached-base streak to ten games. He has reached base in every game he has played in this season.
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Pate became the 11th player in ‘Sox history to walk three or more times in a game.
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Charlottesville pitching struck out double-digit batters for the tenth time this season. They have struck out 85 batters over their last eight games.
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The Tom Sox have had five errors in each of the last two games against Staunton.
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Garrett Spikes (Georgia)’s three errors tied a franchise record. It was the fifth time in team history a player had three errors in a game.
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Staunton’s ten runs are the most the Tom Sox have allowed in a game this season.
