WINCHESTER, Va. – After sliding below .500 once again, the Charlottesville Tom Sox rode into Winchester on a mission. Clicking on all cylinders, the ‘Sox crushed the Winchester Royals twice by out-scoring them 9-3. Head coach Ramon Garza told the team that they needed to “show some grit,” and they responded by rolling through both games of the double-header with a new passion.
The highlight of the night was the overall performances from ‘the shaved-headed assassin’ Carter Cunningham (East Carolina) and veteran, newly mustacheless Garrett Spikes (Georgia). Their productivity started in the top of the third of game one and bled throughout. The only difference was Cunningham walked in the first and Spikes took his fourth inning at-bat over the right field fence. Both ended the game one square at the plate. Spikes finished game one 4-for-4 with a home run, double, and two singles. Cunningham finished 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Emmett Bice (College of Charleston) matched their energy on the mound, pitching six straight scoreless innings and recording seven strikeouts. The Royals rallied a bit in the bottom of the seventh but left the game as a 7-3 victory for Charlottesville.
While Cunningham remained perfect through game two and left the night six-for-six, the second game was more about defense. After starter Drew Bryan (Chicago) shut Winchester out for the first five innings, relievers Bobby Olsen (Brown) and Braden Halladay (Tallahassee CC) kept them at bay, leaving their offense enough room to take the Royals in game two 2-0.
This feeling seems similar to their success earlier in the season. There is a potent switch of energy in the team on both sides of the ball. This doubleheader served as the building block of momentum the ‘Sox needed as they head into the second half of the season.
The Tom Sox return to Charlottesville High School tomorrow for their July 4th Celebration against the Waynesboro Generals. First pitch will be thrown at 6 p.m., and, as always, free admission is brought to you by Carter Bank & Trust.
Additional Notes
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Spikes finished the day 5-for-7 with three runs, two doubles, a home run, and two RBI. Cunningham finished 6-for-6 with four runs, a double, two RBI, and two walks.
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Just 24 hours after having no 4-hit games this season, Christian Martin and Spikes did it in two-straight games.
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Bice became the first Tom Sox pitcher to throw six innings this season, doing so in only 81 pitches. He’s the first to do so since Brady Kirtner pitched 6.1 in game one of a doubleheader against Purcellville last season – remarkably, also on the road on July 3.
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The Tom Sox swept their second doubleheader of the season and are now 4-2 in doubleheaders.
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The Tom Sox’s errorless streak came to an end in game one. They have now committed one error over the last seven games.
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‘Sox pitchers walked only three batters in their 14 innings.
