The Charlottesville Tom Sox claimed the VBL South Division crown after taking down the Staunton Braves 15-1 Thursday night in the first mercy-rule win in VBL history.
After getting no-hit through the first three innings, the Tom Sox found their stride in the fourth inning when they batted around and plated eight runs.
As if eight wasn‘t enough, the ‘Sox had another seven runners cross the plate the very next inning, all seven of which came on the strength of home runs.
Gehrig Ebel (Virginia Tech) sent the first ball out when he launched a three-run homer to left field, however four batters later RJ Ochoa (UTRGV) hit a three-run blast of his own. Wyatt Langford (Florida) then dug in next and followed up with a solo shot. This marked only the second time Charlottesville hit three long balls in one inning in franchise history.
Former Covington Lumberjack Victor Castillo (FAU) made his debut for the Tom Sox Thursday night and did not disappoint. The South Division All Star went 2-3 with two RBIs and a run scored in the mercy-rule win.
The pitching staff held its own against Staunton, as three pitchers combined to throw seven innings without allowing an earned run and striking out 11 Braves in only seven innings. Angelo Cabral (North Central Texas) continued to dazzle as, despite allowing the only run (albeit unearned), he struck out five batters over his two innings of work. Tristan Sipple (NC State) also pitched well, as he followed up his solid first outing in New Market with a two inning performance, racking up four strikeouts.
The Tom Sox will be back in action Friday as the Harrisonburg Turks will make the trip over the mountain to Charlottesville, sending the first pitch off at 7 pm. Parking and admission to Crutchfield Park on Friday night, and all season, is free courtesy of Carter Bank and Trust.
