Yow's Heroics, Patience Key 'Sox Win Over New Market

By: Bryan Portney

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Tom Sox rattled off five runs in the bottom of the eighth to secure their first mercy-rule victory of the year, defeating the New Market Rebels by a score of 14 to 4.

It all started in the bottom of the first as Grayson McCollum (Kennesaw State) ripped a double off the wall in center field to bring in Will Yow (Virginia) from first base.

Though it was the lone run in the frame, it was the third time the ‘Sox scored in the first inning this year and the second win for the squad when doing so.

Yow has put his baserunning skills to work since returning from a short break, having scored four runs and stolen four bases in his last two games.

Aiden Harris then got the party started in the bottom of the second inning with a bloop single and advanced to second on a throwing error.

With that single, Harris has now hit in each of his five games as a Tom Sox player and has maintained a .333 batting average in 21 at-bats this season.

Bryce Neely (Virginia) would bring his college teammate home on an RBI double off the fence in center field to make it a 2-0 ballgame.

The three-run frame was capped off by a bases-loaded walk by Xavier McCoury (Liberty) and a double play to bring in Neely.

Lucas Cash (Bridgewater) held down the fort on the mound in the top of the third after leaving a Rebel runner at third base to keep it a 4-to-0 lead for the Tom Sox.

Cash showed up in the high-leverage situations early on, as New Market was 0-for-6 with runners on and 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position through four frames.

Yow was back in the spotlight in the top of the fourth when he made a jumping throw from short to first base and recorded the first out of the frame.

He executed on back-to-back 6-3 putouts in the inning and had a 360 spin to throw out a runner in the fifth.

“Took a couple ground balls pregame,” Yow said in a postgame interview. “[I] feel like that really helped me see the ball [and] read the ground.”

After a three-run home run by New Market in the top of the fifth, the ‘Sox responded by scoring on two wild pitches and a walk to extend the lead to 7-to-3.

Though the Rebels punched back with an RBI single in the top of the sixth, Brandon Dahlman (Liberty) notched back-to-back strikeouts to retire the side in relief of Cash. Dahlman ended the night with seven strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

McCollum got the ‘Sox on the board again in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI single, followed up by an RBI fielder’s choice from Tommy Landsnes to make it a 9-to-4 lead.

Before the eighth-inning outburst from the ‘Sox bats, McCoury extended his team-leading hitting streak to seven with a one-out single.

Caiden Combs (Auburn) shot an RBI double to the center-field wall to extend the lead to 10-to-4 in the bottom of the eighth, which kicked off the plate patience for the ‘Sox to seal the win.

Back-to-back walks from Neely and Dom Cafferillo (Georgetown), then a Brayden Bachman (East Carolina) sacrifice fly made it a 13-to-4 ballgame.

McCoury would then walk it off with an RBI single to shallow left to seal the deal for a 14-to-4 win in eight innings.

UP NEXT: The Tom Sox (5-9) will face the Staunton Braves (11-4) on Friday to kick off a two-game road trip. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m. EST.