Tom Sox Use Extra Inning Magic To Beat Generals, 7-6
WAYNESBORO, Va. –With one out in the seventh inning, Waynesboro Generals first baseman Parker Wight popped a ball up next to third base. What looked to be an easy play for Gian De Castro (Arizona State)turned sour when the Tom Sox third baseman dropped the ball in foul ground.
With new life, Wight sent the next pitch deep into the trees in right field, clearing the fence for a two-run home run. The Tom Sox still held a 5-4 lead, but the blast was a turning point in the game.
However, driven by some timely extra-inning hits and a gutsy performance from the pitching staff, the Tom Sox defeated the Generals in an 11-inning thriller, 7-6. The Tom Sox win their first consecutive games of 2025, improving to 5-9.
Hunter Hyatt (Oregon)started on the mound for Charlottesville, delivering an admirable first outing, allowing only one hit and two runs, neither of which were earned. Hyatt’s start was also notable considering he didn’t pitch during his three seasons in Eugene, so his performance versus the Generals was his first live-game action as a collegiate athlete.
The Tom Sox scored two runs in the second inning, first on an RBI single from Kyle Langley (James Madison)– which extended his hitting streak to 11 games – then, on an error by the Generals defense.
The ‘Sox added another pair of runs courtesy of Tanner Schaedel (Old Dominion), who blasted a two-run home run to left-center field. Schaedel later added another RBI on a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
The ‘Sox were coasting and in the driver’s seat to seal the win, but starting in the ninth inning, Friday’s contest deviated from normal baseball. After Waynesboro’s Peter Jezerinac struck out the side in the top of the inning, Bradley Link (Pensacola State)let up a game-tying RBI double and faced a bases-loaded conundrum with only one out.
But Link pounced on a squibbed ground ball, throwing home to catcher Evan Taveras (Miami), before he fired the ball over to Schaedel at first, completing a 1-2-3 double play to get the ‘Sox out of the jam.
In the tenth inning, Taveras cashed in the go-ahead run via a sacrifice fly, but in the bottom half, Link surrendered an RBI single to Jake Morgan, bringing the game level once again.
Link may have blown a save opportunity in the ninth and failed to shut the door in the tenth, but he never allowed the Generals to walk off the Tom Sox. It took one more call to the bullpen to earn the victory.
In the eleventh inning, Patrick Niehus (Gardner-Webb)stepped up to the plate with Preston Gamster (TCU) on third, after a sacrifice bunt from James Nunnallee (Virginia)moved him over. Niehus was hitless in his last 15 at-bats up to that point.
The Tom Sox designated hitter broke out of his slump, lifting an RBI double to the left field warning track, once again handing the lead to Charlottesville, 7-6. But the ‘Sox left the bases loaded and an uneasy bottom half of the inning was ahead.
Saxon Roberts (Auburn)entered the game, replacing Link on the bump with tensions continuing to rise.The Tiger sealed the deal, setting down the third, fourth and fifth hitters in the Generals order, giving the ‘Sox its second win in two days. After the game, Roberts proclaimed another prophecy for the Charlottesville faithful.
“We’re gonna have a winning record soon,” he said.
UP NEXT:
The Tom Sox jam-packed schedule continues with a doubleheader at Culpeper on Saturday. The two games are scheduled for 4:00 and 7:00 respectively, and can be viewed on YouTube.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Andrew Mannelly (Wofford)reached base five times in the win, as he recorded three hits and was hit twice
This was the first extra inning game for the ‘Sox this season, and Charlottesville’s first extra inning win since July 29, 2024, vs. Purcellville
Kyle Langley’s hitting streak extended to 11 games, and Preston Gamster’s on base streak moved up to seven games
James Nunnallee now leads all qualified hitters with a .303 AVG
Bradley Link earned his first win of the summer
