COVINGTON, Va. – Tuesday night, the Charlottesville Tom Sox faced the Covington Lumberjacks for the first time since their home opener, this time at Casey Field in Covington, VA. It was a slugfest in Covington where the Tom Sox were able to walk away with a 9-7 win, their sixth straight, bringing their record to 7-1.
The Tom Sox started hot, with Pierce Bennett (Wake Forest) hitting a home run, his first of the season and the team’s third, on his first hit on the first at bat of the day. Further, it was the first time in team history a batter led off a game with a home run. Trevor Candelaria (Davidson) followed that with a triple and was driven in on an RBI double by Garrett Spikes (Georgia) to put the Tom Sox up 2-0. Spikes later came around to score to extend the lead to 3-0. Kam Guidry (Georgia) added a single of his own later in the inning to complete the team’s cycle in the first frame. The Lumberjacks answered in the bottom half with a run of their own to bring the score to 3-1.
Both teams’ pitchers settled in for a few innings before the offenses found their strides again, leaving the second through fourth innings scoreless. Tom Sox starting pitcher Dillon Janac (Rice) gave Head Coach Koehler’s squad a boost with a solid outing where he tallied four innings pitched, fanning six, and allowing only two hits and one run.
The Tom Sox offense remained silent until the top of the 5th where they scored two runs on three walks. The Lumberjacks, on the other hand, came alive in the bottom half – hitting a grand slam, the first the Tom Sox allowed since August 7th, 2018.
The Tom Sox capitalized on a pair of walks in the top of the 8th. A single by Cole Foster (Auburn) brought Gehrig Ebel (Virginia Tech) home, and it was followed by Brett Lindsay’s (East Mennonite) groundout to third; bringing in Cal Stark (Weatherford). That was not too long after an RBI double from Alex Urban (Clemson) brought Foster home. Will Hass (Randolph-Macon) came in to run for Urban and scored a run of his own off a single by Candelaria to bring the score to 9-5. The Lumberjacks then answered with a two-run double by Paxton Tomaini that cut the score to 9-7. Pitcher Will Morrison was able to slam the door on the Lumberjacks in the ninth and finished his day with 2.2 innings pitched and three strikeouts.
The Tom Sox are back in action at Crutchfield Park on Wednesday night at 7 P.M. to take on the Waynesboro Generals. Fans can catch UVA legend and two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long throwing out the first pitch and enjoy the game with free admission provided by Carter Bank and Trust.
Additional Notes
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Alex Urban stole home in the fifth inning, the second time in team history that has happened and the first since June 2017.
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At least one Charlottesville batter reached base in seven of the nine innings.
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The Tom Sox hit for a reverse cycle in the first inning, with Bennett leading off the inning with a HR before being followed by a triple, double, and single.
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Charlottesville allowed a season-high seven runs and seven walks. Their 13 strikeouts were also tied for a season high.
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The ‘Sox’s six-game win streak is now the third-longest in team history.
