Hargett’s Walk-Off Sac Fly Lifts ‘Sox Over Braves, 3-2
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va –Situational baseball was a struggle for Charlottesville throughout the duration of Monday night’s clash with Staunton.
After the first inning, the Tom Sox didn’t plate a single run until the final batter of the ball game, when small ball unlocked the win. With the winning run on second and nobody out in extras, a sacrifice bunt from Tanner Schaedel (Old Dominion)and a sacrifice fly by Perry Hargett (North Carolina)brought home Charlottesville’s third run, to lift the ‘Sox past the Braves, 3-2.
“It was pretty special, a cool moment to be helping the Tom Sox win,” Hargett said.
The win didn’t come in explosive fashion as Sunday’s did, but Charlottesville came up clutch in hot spots throughout the game.
The Tom Sox struck early in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs courtesy of hits from James Nunnallee and Patrick Niehus (Gardner-Webb).
Right after the ‘Sox gained that momentum, they kept the Braves at bay, as starting pitcher JT Gibson and catcher Evan Taveras (Miami)teamed up for a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play to keep Staunton off the board.
This game was dominated by pitching down the stretch from both sides. After Gibson’s four-inning start, the ‘Sox used phenomenal outings from McCall Biemiller (Florida), Ian White, and Trevor Booton (Auburn)to keep the Braves to just two runs for the duration of the ballgame.
A crucial moment in the game came in the sixth,when White relieved Biemiller with the bases loaded. He looped in a slider for a swinging strikeout to escape the jam and keep the game tied.
White cruised after that, which included him recording back-to-back strikeouts in the eighth. After Charlottesville went down quietly in the eighth, just as it had done in every inning after the first, head coach Randy Tomlin opted to bring in Booton for the ninth.
Booton came in and quickly induced a 4-6-3 double play with some help from second baseman Hudson Lutterman (Virginia Tech). The Tom Sox brought the winning run just 90 feet from the plate in the bottom half, but couldn’t cash in, meaning Booton came back out for the tenth.
He picked up two strikeouts to strand the go-ahead run at third base, putting Charlottesville in the driver’s seat.
“Trevor Booton didn’t know it yet, but he was gonna be my friend because he throws strikes,” Hargett said postgame, referencing a moment from his first day on the team. “And I love a guy who throws strikes.”
Booton’s strike-throwing gave the Tom Sox a much better chance of ending the game in the tenth, and they did just that.
Schaedel dropped a perfect bunt to move Kyle Langley (James Madison)to third, and then Hargett, in an 0-2 count, launched a deep fly ball to center that brought home Langley to win the game.
UP NEXT:
Now holding an 11-11 record, the ‘Sox will travel to Harrisonburg tomorrow to take on the Turks. First pitch is set for 7 PM from Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park, and we will be providing an audio-only stream of the game.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Perry Hargett’s walk-off was the first for Charlottesville since Sam Mummau’s two-run homer in game one of last year’s Valley League Championship Series vs. Purcellville
The ‘Sox are at a .500 record during the regular season for the first time this summer
James Nunnallee’s hitting streak is now at 10 games, which is one game shy of matching the longest hitting streak from a Tom Sox player this summer (Kyle Langley– 11 games)
This was the fifth time this season and the third time in the past four games where Tom Sox relievers didn’t allow a run
