CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Despite the hot and humid weather, the Charlottesville Tom Sox (20-7) celebrated Holidays on the Hill Night with an 8-5 win over the Culpeper Cavaliers (10-14) on Saturday evening at Charlottesville High School.
Robbie Lavey (George Washington) and Blake Brookins (Florida) helped gift the ‘Sox the victory with a combined four hits, two runs scored, and a home run. Meanwhile, Chase Stryker (Coastal Carolina) and Brett Gastman (Charleston Southern) went a combined six innings on the bump and allowed just one run on four hits.
The ballgame swayed in favor of the Cavaliers early as Stryker gave up one hit, three walks, and one run in a lengthy top of the first. But a key strikeout and flyball got the home team out of the frame without any more damage being done.
“I seem to put myself in that spot quite a bit so far, but just having the confidence in myself to get out of it was key,” Stryker said. “Just knowing you’ve got it and trusting your defense are the biggest things.”
Charlottesville struck back in the bottom of the second with a two-run shot over the right field wall by Brookins. His first homer with the Tom Sox brought Caden Ferraro (Blinn College) home and handed his team a 2-1 lead.
“I was looking for a pitch to drive and he gave me a pitch low and in,” Brookins said. “I’ve only been here three days and the team, players, and coaches are all cool. It’s been a good time.”
Stryker settled in on the rubber with a one-run advantage to deliver two scoreless innings before he was relieved by Gastman. The rising sophomore from Coastal Carolina finished the night with four innings pitched, two strikeouts, one earned run, and three hits allowed.
Gastman’s reign lasted two innings during which the lefty punched out six batters to preserve head coach Randy Tomlin’s lead. While the defense made quick work of the Cavaliers’ lineup, the offense built on its narrow run margin.
With two outs in the fifth, Ryan Wynn (Wofford) dug in at the plate and kept the inning alive with a single. From there, Lavey placed the ball into the left-center field gap that bought enough time for the speedy Wynn to round the bases and come home.
“I feel like we had a little rough patch because everyone started to tighten up and try to do too much,” Lavey said. “We just need to go out there, play the game, have fun, stay focused and the wins will come.”
Up 3-1, Ferraro kicked off a three-run sixth inning with a single followed by two walks and two additional singles produced by the bottom of the lineup. Sam Mummau (Florida) was the main culprit of the ‘Sox success with his two-RBI single to cap off the sixth.
A scoreless seventh brought forth an intense eighth frame that saw Culpeper grab four runs off of three hits, two walks and a crucial error on C’Ville’s infield. But Tomlin’s squad fought for some of those runs back an inning later with an RBI groundout by Wynn and a costly error on the Cavaliers to regain a three-run advantage.
The night capped off with a nail biting finish in the top of ninth where Daniel Powell (Kennesaw State) struck out three batters with two runners in scoring position to slam the door shut on Culpeper’s rally and seal the 8-5 win.
UP NEXT:
The Tom Sox jumped to 20-7 on the summer and now hold a 5-0 series lead against the Cavaliers in 2024. Charlottesville’s weekend will conclude with a road trip to Staunton on Sunday to face the Braves (11-13) for the seventh time this season.
Additional Information:
- Blake Brookins made his home debut and hit his first home run with the Tom Sox.
- Robbie Lavey tied a season-high with three hits on the night.
- Charlottesville collected their fifth-straight win against Culpeper.
- The ‘Sox tallied their ninth come-from-behind win on the year.
- Tom Sox pitchers walked a season-high ten batters.
