CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Charlottesville Tom Sox defeated the Covington Lumberjacks 3-1 on Thursday at Crutchfield Park.
Stephen Restuccio (Northwest Florida State) started on the mound for Charlottesville, throwing 38 strikes for a total of 57 pitches (67%). On the offensive side, the first sign of action came in the first inning when Gehrig Ebel (Virginia Tech) was walked by Lumberjack starting pitcher Hunter Mink. Garrett Spikes (Georgia) came up to the plate and hit a single to advance Ebel to third base but was thrown out after trying to steal.
Kameron Guidry (Georgia) walked in the third inning and stole second base for Charlottesville. Ebel then came up to bat and advanced Guidry to third but was called out at first base after a controversial call.
After four innings, James Vaughn (Duke) came into pitch for the Tom Sox. Vaughn allowed one run, while throwing 17 strikes and 30 pitches to eight batters on the Lumberjacks.
Charlottesville found their rhythm in the fifth when Guidry reached base again on a single and then reached second base after a passed ball by Lumberjacks catcher Jack Schroeder. Guidry advanced to third after Will Safford (LSU) reached base due to a Covington error. Ebel was up next to the plate and hit a double to get the Tom Sox on the board 2-0.
The Lumberjacks responded by bringing a runner to home in the sixth. This is when Chase Centala (Florida) came into pitch for the Tom Sox. Centala had an impressive game, with eight strikeouts, while allowing no runs and only two hits.
To finish off the game, the Tom Sox brought back the action when Cole Foster (Auburn) hit a single in the eighth. Foster stole second quickly and got to home plate by Trevor Candelaria (Davidson) hitting an RBI single, making the score 3-1 Tom Sox.
Charlottesville is now 11-5 on the season, and will be back in action on Friday, as they face the Staunton Braves at 7 p.m. Admission is free all season thanks to our friends at Carter Bank and Trust.
Additional Notes
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The Tom Sox are now 4-0 over the Lumberjacks this season, their best record against any opponent this season.
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Charlottesville was errorless for the second time this season.
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Tom Sox pitchers struck out double-digit batters for the ninth time this season (16 games). Centala collected eight of the 12 punchouts on the night.
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Every Tom Sox starter reached base in the game, with six of the nine recording a hit.
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Covington’s Victor Castillo became the 17th player to hit two doubles against the ‘Sox all-time, completing the feat in the 6th & 8th innings.
