‘Sox Earn Split in Doubleheader With Culpeper

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.– Ailed by a handful of blow-up innings, the Tom Sox dropped the first game of the doubleheader Thursday against Culpeper, 9-5.

In the first of a brutal four-game stretch, the ‘Sox could not begin on the right foot, as a solid offensive performance was not enough to overcome 12 free passes issued by Charlottesville’s pitching (eight walks, four hit batters).

Hunter Hyatt began on the mound after having his last start cut short by a rain delay in Harrisonburg. While Hyatt got out of the first inning unscathed, a walk and two hit by pitches put the ‘Sox starter in a bind early. Hyatt didn’t give himself any help, committing an error with the bases loaded while attempting to throw home to catcher Anderson French (Virginia Tech). After allowing an RBI to Cavalier leadoff man Keeton Burroughs, who had four RBI in the game, Hyatt exited after only two innings of work.

The first man out of the bullpen for the ‘Sox was Caden Harris (UVA Wise), who made his debut for Charlottesville. However, it was not a performance to remember, as Harris quickly loaded the bases. Burroughs knocked in another pair with an RBI double. In just two thirds of an inning, Harris allowed five Cavaliers to reach base and three runs.

Charlottesville found itself without the lead, but Tanner Schaedel (Old Dominion)had a response. In the fourth inning, he walloped the first pitch from Culpeper starter Ed Wagner over the left field fence, cutting the deficit to one.

But the close score wouldn’t last. Alex Bingler (James Madison), who finished the costly third inning and pitched a scoreless fourth, allowed three hits and two walks in the fifth. Culpeper plated four runs, as its lead ballooned.

While the number of errors committed by Charlottesville has steadily declined during the summer, mental mistakes significantly hindered an attempted comeback in the first game. The ‘Sox had two runners thrown out at home and Jackson Sirois (Maryland)was picked off at first base in the eighth inning.

The ‘Sox accumulated 12 hits (four more than Culpeper), but left 11 runners on base, including at least one man in all nine innings.

The loss also overshadows a fantastic performance from Lane Duff, who tossed four and a third innings of scoreless baseball, with only three hits allowed.

The disappointment of the Tom Sox continued deep into the second game. Charlottesville found itself down by three due to a pair of bases loaded walks from Tim Lawson (North Carolina)and an RBI single given up by Riley Roarty (Virginia Commonwealth). Lawson, who was phenomenal in his last start against Front Royal, was plagued by walks again, allowing five consecutive free passes in the second inning. On the other side, Cavaliers starting pitcher Zach Mizrahi no-hit the ‘Sox through nearly five innings, exiting in line for the win.

In the bottom of the fifth, Culpeper reliever Alexander Crudder drew a ground ball from Tom Sox catcher Evan Taveras. Cavalier third baseman Caleb Estes fielded it cleanly, then airmailed the throw over his 6’3’’ first baseman, Colby Motley. With new life, the ‘Sox rallied, crafting a string of productive at-bats, along with smart baserunning. Schaedel scored from third on a passed ball to get the ‘Sox on the board. Then, Perry Hargett (North Carolina)placed a ground ball up the middle to score two runs, tying the game at three.

In the nick of time, the ‘Sox had placed their hand in between a quickly slamming door, possibly saving its playoff seeding in the process. Now, it was up to them to finish the job.

After a quiet seventh inning, momentum swung the ‘Sox way in the form of stellar defense. Tom Sox catchers in 2025 have played in a way that might make NFL gunslingers like Brett Favre and Josh Allen proud. Charlottesville’s backstops have thrown down to bases with regularity. They haven’t shown much concern for who else is on base or how many outs, solely focused on keeping baserunners honest. While the ‘Sox learned the consequences of this approach to catching in the first game, Taveras nailed a risky back-pick at second base to nab the ghost runner, propelling the ‘Sox to a scoreless top of the eighth.

In the bottom half, it looked like the Tom Sox were going to end Thursday’s marathon doubleheader before it bled into Friday. The team had seemingly been given a golden opportunity, with Culpeper head coach Brandon Mack opting to intentionally walk Lee Sowers(North Carolina) and Will Jennewein (Sewanee)to load the bases for Hargett. Mack’s decision paid off, as Hargett grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, sending the game to a ninth inning.

The ‘Sox had already played over six hours of baseball in the Virginia heat. The team could’ve thrown in the towel when Culpeper scored a run in the top of the ninth, but a Sirois sacrifice fly set the game level at 4-4.

The work of the back-end bullpen arms can’t go unnoticed. Following Duff’s performance in game one, Trevor Booton (Auburn)pitched three crucial innings in game two, his longest outing of the season, while not allowing a hit or earned run. Fellow Tiger Saxon Roberts finished the game for the ‘Sox, including stranding the go-ahead run at third in the 10th.

In the bottom half, a Hudson Lutterman (Virginia Tech)bunt single and Taveras intentional walk once again loaded the bases for a Tar Heel. Only this time, it was Sowers, who had just two hits in his last nine games entering Thursday.

But as the clock struck midnight, the ‘Sox had their Cinderella moment. Sowers smoked a pitch up the middle, scoring Schaedel and ending the doubleheader on a high note with a 5-4 Tom Sox win.

“We were running on fumes,” Sowers said. “This season started off a little rough, but we’ve been battling, we’ve been getting after it…so [I] just hope we can continue to keep that rolling going into the next couple of games.”

UP NEXT:

The Tom Sox now have to recharge and get ready to play another doubleheader on Friday night against the Covington Lumberjacks. First pitch for game one is set for 5 p.m. and will be a nine-inning game. Game two will begin approximately 30 minutes after game one concludes and only be a seven-inning game.