Charlottesville Falls to Winchester to End 2026 Campaign

By: Bryan Portney

WINCHESTER, Va. – From an 0-7 start to the postseason, the ‘Sox found themselves in the heat of a long run that ended at Bridgeforth Stadium on Thursday night.

The longest game in Valley League championship history lasted 16 innings and ended with the swing of a bat as the Tom Sox fell by a score of 5-4 to the Winchester Royals.

Before the madness ensued, both sides were quiet for most of the first nine innings.

The Royals scored the initial run of the game on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first, though Clayton Armah (Auburn) was able to strike out three batters and leave the bases loaded in the frame.

Armah got the start for the ‘Sox, closing the bookends on 2026 as he started the season opener at Waynesboro.

Caiden Combs (Auburn) wasted no time getting the ‘Sox into the hit column as he drove a leadoff single up the middle. Brayden Bachman (East Carolina) reached on an infield single, but he and Combs were left stranded after back-to-back strikeouts.

It was the theme of the night for a Tom Sox offense that went 4-for-5 in leadoff situations but also 1-for-12 with runners on and couldn’t bring anyone home through the first five frames.

Armah was stellar on the mound and ended the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back strikeouts, though the Royals were able to extend the lead on a catcher’s balk.

From there, the ‘Sox continued to try and chop away but to no avail. It wasn’t until a pinch-hit decision that they had life in the game once more.

With two outs and the game on the line, Christian Dewey (George Washington) tied the game on one swing with a rope down the third-base line for a triple.

Dewey pinch-hit for Chase Jackson and drove in two runs to keep the ‘Sox alive, but that would only be the start of a long finish.

Asher Sabom (Augusta) would toss 3.2 innings from the bottom of the ninth to the end of the 12th, locking things down on the mound and keeping the ‘Sox in the fight.

From there, Henry Knighton (George Washington) pitched three shutout innings and reaffirmed the offensive frustration for the Royals.

Unfortunately, that frustration played both sides as the Tom Sox as they would notch seven of their season-high 16 hits in extras but it wouldn’t play a factor until the end.

Harrison Campi (Wofford) gave the ‘Sox their first lead of the night on a two-RBI double to center in the top of the 16th, but the good mojo would soon wear off.

It all came down to the swing of one bat as Royals catcher J.P. Williams went deep for a walk-off three run home run to secure the title.

UP NEXT: The Tom Sox have finished the 2026 season as VBL South Division champions. We’ll see you all next summer for the 2027 campaign!