Tom Sox Face Cannons in Battle for First Place

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The second-place Charlottesville Tom Sox (5-2) will face the first-place Purcellville Cannons (6-1) tonight at CHO Airport Field, brought to you by Avelo Airlines. It will be broadcast live on the Tom Sox Facebook page and Tom Sox TV. First pitch is set for 7 P.M. It is youth day at the ballpark, and Little Leaguers can receive free admission when wearing their jersey.

Coverage: Viewers can head to the Tom Sox Facebook Page or Tom Sox TV to watch tonight’s game. A link to the live stats is available on Pointstreak. The Tom Sox Twitter account (@CvilleTomSox) will provide live updates.

Ticket Information: Admission to Tom Sox games is $5 for one person or $10 for a carload. All prices include parking.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Purcellville: RHP Daniel Quintana – James Madison (0-0, 4.2 IP, 5.78 ERA, 1 BB, 7 K)

Charlottesville: LHP Sam Massey – Charleston Southern (0-0, 5.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1 BB, 3 K)

LEADING OFF

• The Tom Sox and Cannons will play their first of four games this season.

• Charlottesville has won eight straight games against Purcellville and 12 of the last 13 dating back to 2017.

• The Cannons and Tom Sox own the top two spots in the Valley League standings, with Purcellville a game ahead of Charlottesville.

• Charlottesville took home a 12-4 win in Harrisonburg last night, scoring in five of nine innings and setting a new single-game stolen base record in the process.

• The ‘Sox will travel to Front Royal tomorrow to face the Cardinals for a 7 P.M. first pitch.

TEAM TRENDS

• Charlottesville is on a 4-game win streak, their longest since the 2022 playoffs when they finished 7-0.

• 4 of Charlottesville’s 5 wins have come on the road.

• The Tom Sox have scored at least 7 runs in all five of their wins.

• The ‘Sox have allowed five or fewer runs in six of their seven games.

• Both of Charlottesville’s losses have come by two or fewer runs.

• Charlottesville is 4-1 when scoring first, the only loss coming in the season opener.

SPEEDY ‘SOX

• The Tom Sox have stolen 43 bases in their first seven games, the most in franchise history.

• The previous high was 19, set by Kory Koehler’s 2021 Tom Sox team.

• They have not been caught stealing so far.

• The 2023 ‘Sox now own the top two stolen base days in team history, stealing nine in game two against Covington and ten last night at Harrisonburg.

• Josh Tate tied the individual single-game record with four steals last night, tying a record that had not been touched in exactly eight years.

• This season, the ‘Sox have five games with 6+ stolen bases after having only six such games in their first seven seasons (322 games).

• The ‘Sox are currently on pace for 270 stolen bases on the year. The current team record is 110, set by the 2021 team.

• The 2023 team is tied for fifth in team history in single-season stolen bases, having already surpassed the 2019 (34) and 2015 (40) teams.

• Lyndon Coleman’s record in the VBL is 120, set by the 2016 Winchester Royals.

PITCHING DOMINANCE

• The Tom Sox pitching staff has dominanted opponents so far on the season, leading the league with a 3.25 ERA.

• They have allowed four or fewer runs in all but one game this season.

• Their 29 walks are the fewest in the league this year while their 76 strikeouts are tied for second.

• The ‘Sox have finished top two in the league in ERA in four of the last five seasons.

AGAINST PURCELLVILLE

• The Tom Sox have dominated the all-time series against the Cannons, going 14-4 all-time with eight straight wins.

• They have won 12 of the last 13 games against Purcellville.

• In the last six meetings, three have been decided by seven or more runs while three have been decided by two or less.

• Charlottesville has scored double digits in two of the last three meetings.

• Purcellville’s last win against Charlottesville came on June 11, 2018, a 5-4 extra-inning, walk-off win at home. Eventual VBL Pitcher of the Year Jared Wetherbee walked four straight batters to end the game, with Kenny Oyama earning a walk-off free pass to win it.

ROAD SUCCESS

• Charlottesville has found success on the road early in the season, with three of their four wins coming away from CHO Airport Field.

• The ‘Sox have a +26 run differential in their three road games, including a run-rule victory over Culpeper Sunday. They are +1 at home.

• ‘Sox pitchers have allowed only 12 earned runs away from home so far, with half coming Wednesday in a battle at Woodstock.

• Last season, Charlottesville followed a similar trend – they were 17-7 on the road and 13-9 at home, the first time in team history finishing with more road wins than home wins.

• They have not trailed in a road game this season.

PLAYER NOTES

• Justin Thomas has reached base in every game, the only ‘Sox player to do so this season. He has a hit in four straight games.

• Josh Tate is riding a 6-game hit streak and has an RBI in two-straight games.

• Kyle Edwards has a hit and RBI in three of his last four games, and has reached base in four-straight games.

• Hollis Porter is riding a five-game hit streak, with multiple hits in two of his last three contests.

• Brice Martinez and David Wiley, both from Wofford, went a combined 4-7 with 3 runs, 3 RBI, and 4 stolen bases in their debuts last night.