Charlottesville- The Charlottesville Tom Sox took the field late on Father’s Day and split a doubleheader against the Winchester Royals, winning the first game 3-4 and losing the second one 7-0. A back and forth first game went into an extra inning, but a double from Wyatt Langford (Florida) gave Charlottesville their second consecutive home walk-off victory. The second game was all Winchester, resulting in a 7-0 loss.
In game one, Charlottesville native Jacob Haney (William & Mary) got the start and kept up his stellar season. His four scoreless innings included 4 strikeouts on 54 pitches, and he left the game with a 1-0 lead after the Sox scored in the second. That lead soon disappeared when Noah Overton (UNC Wilmington) entered in relief.
A couple errors from Charlottesville defenders put two Royals runners aboard in the top of the sixth. A single to left from Winchester’s Ryan Doran (Nebraska Omaha) gave the Royals a 2-1 lead. Charlottesville quickly tied the game when Trevor Candelaria (Davidson) drove in Cole Foster (Auburn) in the same frame. The Sox looked primed to score at least another run in the frame, but a heads up double play from the Royals stopped any Sox rally.
A scoreless seventh frame meant the two sides could not be separated, but in the top of the eighth, a Winchester run looked to give them a victory. With the Sox down 3-2, Makenzie Pate (Coastal Carolina) reached base on a single. Walks of Garrett Spikes (Georgia) and Ryan Dyal (Auburn) loaded the bases with only one out, giving Langford the space to make a major play. A double deep to center field drove in the tying and winning runs, giving Charlottesville a walk-off win.
The second game of Sunday’s doubleheader got off to a rough start for Charlottesville. Dillon Janec (Rice) walked his first two batters, and then a sacrifice fly from Winchester’s Austin Burman (Rice) and a wild pitch skipped by Ryan Dyal to score another. In the second, Burman blasted a grand slam off of his college teammate to give the Royals a 6-0 lead.
Charlottesville never had a chance in the second game as Kenneth Quijano (Rider) pitched a no hitter in seven innings. After falling behind early, they were unable to create any momentum and any late rally was squashed after a deep fly ball by Candelaria was caught on the warning track in the seventh. In the top of the seventh, Charlottesville placed Foster on the mound, and Doran capitalized, launching a home run way out of Crutchfield Park, bringing the final score to 7-0.
Charlottesville moved to 10-4 on the season after going 2-1 on the weekend. Catch the Sox in action Monday night, June 21st, in Staunton at 7:30 pm. They will be back at home Thursday night, June 24th, for Public Health Appreciation Night, with all admission this season is free thanks to our friends at Carter Bank & Trust. Come and see the Sox in action at Crutchfield Park!
