HARRISONBURG, Va – Runs, runs and even more runs. The Charlottesville Tom Sox (5-2) faced off against the Harrisonburg Turks (4-3) on Friday night, and from the first pitch, the Tom Sox were in control – capturing their fourth straight victory in dominant fashion, 12-4. The Tom Sox set records for single-game team and individual stolen bases in the contest with ten total – including four by second baseman Josh Tate (Georgia) – in addition to setting a career home run record.
Justin Thomas (Georgia) led off the game with a double, and the momentum spread throughout the lineup with Hollis Porter (Mississippi State) and Connor Hincks (Notre Dame) reaching on walks. In his first at-bat as a Tom Sox, David Wiley (Wofford) was drilled by a pitch, bringing home the contest’s first run. The next batter was Josh Tate, who worked an eight-pitch walk to make the score 2-0. Wiley’s Wofford teammate Brice Martinez then hit a sac fly to right field, which was deep enough for Hincks to score from third. After another free pass in the fashion of a Kalvin Alexander (Georgia Southwestern) hit by pitch, Harrisonburg starter Miles Jamieson was knocked out of the game after just ⅔ of an inning; having issued free passes to five of the first eight batters.
The first inning wasn’t quite over yet, though. 9-hole hitter Sergio Rivera (Florida Southwestern) singled off of reliever Lane Pierson, scoring Wiley and Tate and making it 5-0 after just one half inning.
However, the Turks’ offense didn’t go down quietly. Aiden Alexander singled off ‘Sox starter Jaden Kinsler (James Madison) to open the inning, and two batters later, Micah Morgan roped a triple down the left-field line. The triple scored Alexander from first to make it 5-1, and Harrisonburg got one more back off of Kinsler after Ben Barrett hit a sac fly to bring in Morgan.
After surrendering two runs in the first inning, Kinsler settled into a rhythm during the second and third. With Charlottesville leading 5-2 heading into the fourth, Kinsler looked to continue his momentum, but disaster struck after a lead-off walk to Barrett. The following batter, Cameron Harris laced a double which scored Barrett, then the next batter Sean Barnett drove him in with an RBI single to make it a one-run game entering the fifth.
The lead was not small for long, though. Charlottesville’s offense went back to work in the fifth inning as Martinez singled home his college teammate in Wiley, who reached base for the third time in as many plate appearances on a leadoff single. They added one more in the sixth after Edwards reached on an error and Hincks knocked him in with a groundout.
Charlottesville led 7-4 to open the seventh inning and was looking to put away Harrisonburg for good. Alexander killed any remaining sense of hope by drilling a ball over the left field wall for a two-run blast, his first of the season. The home run etched Alexander into the Tom Sox record book, becoming the team’s all-time home run leader with his seventh in 22 games.
With the offense firing on all cylinders, the pitching was having similar success. Head Coach Lyndon Coleman called upon Jarvis Evans Jr. (Georgia) to relieve Kinsler in the fifth, and he picked up where he left off in the season opener with another dominant performance. Evans pitched five masterful innings, allowing just one hit while striking out six. He retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced, including the last 11.
Even with a 9-4 lead entering the ninth, Charlottesville did not take their feet off the brakes. The ‘Sox added three more in the top of the ninth as the first four batters in the inning reached. Wiley and Alexander walked to bookend singles by Tate and Martinez, all four of whom stole at least one base after reaching in the ninth. Tate made history after swiping two in his ninth-inning trip, stealing four bases in all to tie the single-game record set by Billy Cooke exactly eight years from Friday’s contest. Tate’s four swiped bags helped the team set a new program record of 10 stolen bases in a game, breaking the record of nine which they set against Covington just a week prior.
The Tom Sox are back in action Saturday at home against first-place Purcellville, with the first pitch slated for 7 P.M. All youth wearing a Little League uniform will receive free admission and will be recognized on the field as part of youth day festivities.
Additional Notes
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Charlottesville remains a perfect 4-0 in road games on the year.
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In his team debut, David Wiley reached base in four of his five plate appearances with two singles, a walk, hit by pitch, two stolen bases, and an RBI.
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Alexander also reached in four of his five trips on the night, with free passes bookending his single and home runs. Alexander looks to be continuing a trend from last season, where he started 0-for-11 but finished the year hitting .313 – this season, he is 3 for his last 7 after starting the year 0-for-5.
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All three of Charlottesville’s home runs this season have come on the road, with homers hit at Covington (Henry Ford), Culpeper (Jake Bennett), and Harrisonburg (Alexander), respectively.
