CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Charlottesville Tom Sox (1-2) faced the Harrisonburg Turks (2-1) Saturday for the third game of their season. After a defensive battle that held the game at a tie from the third through the eighth inning, the ‘Sox fell to the Turks 4-2 in the ninth.
The Turks took an early lead with two runs in the top of the first. Jose Perez, the second batter of the game, hit a two run home run to plate himself and Aiden Alexander, making it 2-0 early. The ‘Sox closed out that half inning with a double play by shortstop Kyle Edwards (Old Dominion) and second baseman Josh Tate (Georgia) and a lineout to right fielder Drew Jones (Ohio State). Charlottesville then stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the first but was held at bay with a groundout and two strikeouts.
Going into the second, starting pitcher Sam Massey (Charleston Southern) struck out one hitter, but the half was closed once again with a double by Edwards and first baseman Hollis Porter (Mississippi State). Coming up to bat again, the ‘Sox found their momentum in order to tie up the game. Third baseman Henry Ford (Virginia) was brought home by Jones in the bottom of the second, closely followed by catcher Kalvin Alexander (Georgia Southwestern) scoring on a Sergio Rivera (Florida Southwestern) single.
The Turks’ Alexander made his way on base again in the top of the third with his second of three singles on the night, but Massey responded by striking out another Turk at the plate. Then, for the third time of the game, the ‘Sox executed a double play to head into the bottom of the inning.
The score sat still for a total of five innings where the game essentially became a pitch off. Stellar defensive play fromboth teams prevented any runs from scoring until the ninth. A few key defensive players for the Sox tonight included left fielder Rivera, Edwards and Porter, who made a pair of impressive snags at first.
In the top of the ninth, Harrisonburg loaded the bases with a pair of walks and hit by pitch by Tom Sox reliever Hayden Smith (Kentucky). Jose Perez capped off his 4-RBI day with a line drive to left, bringing in two runs for the Turks and allowing them to take a 4-2 lead on Charlottesville. While the ‘Sox were able to get Tate on base in the ninth with a 2-out single, Ford hit a first pitch grounder to the pitcher to end the ‘Sox’s chance of a comeback.
The Tom Sox will face the Culpeper Cavaliers Sunday in Culpeper for the teams’ first matchup in league history. First pitch is set for 7:30 P.M.
Additional Notes
-
Harrisonburg snapped a 16-game winless streak at Charlottesville High School, getting their first win in Charlottesville since June 2017.
-
Josh Tate collected Charlottesville’s only multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 on the day. Over the last two games, Tate is 4-for-9 with four stolen bases and two runs scored.
-
Over his last two games, Rivera is 4-for-6 with four RBI and five stolen bases, including a pair against the Turks.
-
Charlottesville’s streak of consecutive scoreless bullpen appearances was snapped with the two Turks runs in the ninth.
