Lutterman’s Sacrifice Fly Forces Game Three In Valley League Championship Series
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –Things were looking bleaker than ever for the Charlottesville Tom Sox in game two of the Valley League Championship Series. They trailed the Strasburg Express, 7-5, heading into the bottom of the eighth. On the verge of elimination, the ‘Sox stepped up to the task, winning 8-7 in walk-off fashion.
Hudson Luttermanwalked it off with a sacrifice fly to force game three of the championship series.
Charlottesville got off to a hot start both offensively and defensively in the first inning.Brandon Eldridgeworked around some danger and hurled a scoreless half inning for Charlottesville.Perry Hargett (North Carolina)led off the bottom of the inning with a single, and later scored on a wild pitch.
Strasburg struck for two runs in the top of the second, but Hargett worked a walk with the bases loaded to bring home Lutterman, knotting the score at two.
Both offenses hit a lull in the third and fourth innings, while both pitching staffs worked shutout innings.
The Express got to Eldridge in the fifth, forcing his exit with multiple runners on base.Luke Craytor (Virginia Tech)entered, limiting the damage to just three runs, making the score, 5-2.
The ‘Sox began to claw back in the sixth, withBrock Claytonlining a single into right field to bring homeKyle Langley (James Madison).
Niko Janssens (College of Central Florida)entered in the seventh in relief of Craytor. Janssens recorded a scoreless frame, and turned it over to the ‘Sox offense.Tanner Schaedel (Old Dominion)walked to lead it off and found his way to third on a single fromWill Jennewein (Sewanee).Schaedel crossed the plate on a wild pitch, and Jennewein scored on a single from Hargett to make the score, 5-5.
Though the ‘Sox clawed back, the Express weren’t done yet. They tallied two runs and forced the ‘Sox to call forIan White (Indiana)out of the bullpen. White forced a quick pop out to avoid any further damage.
With one out in the eighth, Lutterman legged out an infield single. One batter later, Jennewein worked a count and earned himself a walk as the tying run. In a crucial moment of the game, head coachRandy Tomlinmade a bold move, bringing inEvan Taverasas a pinch hitter. Taveras delivered, lining a two-run double to tie the game up at seven.
In the top of the ninth, White worked around two baserunners to keep the score even. After a lineout from Langley to begin the bottom half,Jackson Sirois (Maryland)lined a single into right to put himself on base as the winning run. Sirois advanced to second on an error, which led Strasburg to intentionally walk Clayton for the double play opportunity.Patrick Niehus (Gardner-Webb)grounded one back to the mound, but legged out the play to load the bases for Lutterman. In the second pitch of the at-bat, Lutterman flied one into center that brought home Sirois, and forced a winner-take-all game three in Strasburg.
UP NEXT:
The Tom Sox will look to capture their fifth Valley League title in franchise history up in Strasburg, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday night from First Bank Park.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Hudson Luttermanhad no sacrifice flies in the regular season, but now has three in the playoffs
Tanner Schaedeltied a single-game franchise record with four walks
Seven of the nine starters for the ‘Sox recorded a multi-hit game, including the top six hitters in the order
Six of the nine Tom Sox starters reached base three times, but all nine reached base at least twice
16 hits for the Tom Sox is a new season high
Charlottesville now holds a 33-16 all-time record in the postseason, and have a 17-4 record in elimination games
This was the 16th come-from-behind win of the season for the ‘Sox and their fourth walk-off win
Even with the win, the Tom Sox left 17 runners left on base, a new franchise record
There were a combined 31 runners left on base, the most in a single game in Tom Sox history
