'Sox Fall On Opening Night Against Waynesboro
By Landon Weaver
WAYNESBORO, Va - Charlottesville’s Opening Day woes continued on Friday. The ‘Sox drop to 2-9 all-time on Opening Day with a 7-2 loss to the Waynesboro Generals away from home.
Waynesboro’s defense was just too much for Charlottesville to overcome as the ‘Sox batters were struck out 12 times and sat down in order in seven innings during the loss.
If those strikeout numbers aren’t telling enough, the Tom Sox offense didn’t register a walk in the entirety of Friday’s contest. The last time that happened, ironically, was in 2019 against Waynesboro.
The loss was not without some positives for the Tom Sox. Charlottesville’s starter, Clayton Armah (Auburn), put together a phenomenal outing in just 3.1 innings pitched.
The Tiger ace finished with seven strikeouts, allowing just three hits and two runs. Armah also captured a rare four-strikeout inning in the bottom of the third.
This was the first instance since Tyler McLoughlin achieved the rare feat back in 2022 against the Woodstock River Bandits.
Despite Armah’s strong start, the Tom Sox bats just never got going. After the third inning, Charlottesville was unable to register a hit for the remainder of the contest.
The Tom Sox had a lead in that third inning as well. They went into the frame down 1-0, but a Ben Cardone (VMI) RBI groundout followed by a Chase Jackson (Seminole State) RBI single saw the ‘Sox take their only lead of the contest.
Their advantage quickly evaporated as the Generals knotted the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the third.
From there on, it was all Waynesboro. A two-run sixth and a three-run eighth were enough for Waynesboro to put the ‘Sox to bed, as the Generals cruised comfortably to a 7-2 victory led by Connor O’Sullivan’s three-RBI night.
Up Next: The Tom Sox (0-1) are back in action tomorrow evening. The four-time VBL Champions head to Culpeper for a rematch of the 2025 VBL South Championship. The Cavaliers (0-1) fell to the Harrisonburg Turks 7-5 on Friday night. Both teams head into Saturday evening’s contest looking for their first win of the season.
