CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Tom Sox used power hitting and clutch pitching to sweep a Thursday doubleheader against Harrisonburg, winning game one 15-4 and game two 10-7. With the sweep, Charlottesville moves into a tie for first place in the Valley League South division with just four games remaining in the regular season.
The Tom Sox won game one behind a pair of home runs and a strong day from Cole Wagner (Georgia). Wagner extended his on-base streak with a pair of singles, two walks, and the winning home run in the eighth. Kalvin Alexander (Florida Southwestern) also contributed a single, walk, and his second home run in as many days, another 3-run shot.
Charlottesville got their scoring started quickly in the first. A leadoff triple to left by Christian Martin (Virginia Tech)quickly put a runner in scoring position, and it was an easy score as Carter Cunningham (East Carolina) hit a sacrifice fly to center and scored Martin. The Tom Sox put two more runners on base in the inning, but neither was able to head home.
After three perfect innings from ‘Sox starter Bobby Olsen (Brown), the Turks did their damage in the fourth. After a hit by pitch and a single to lead off the inning, Jaylon Lee hit a sacrifice fly to put Harrisonburg on the board. An RBI triple and RBI single a couple batters later brought in the other two runs to give the Turks a 3-1 lead through four.
The Tom Sox were not ones to go down easy, however, as they fired back with four of their own in the fifth to re-take the lead. After two walks and a fielder’s choice put a runner in scoring position with one out, Cole Wagner struck with an RBI single to make it 3-2. The impact of the inning came a batter later, however, as Kalvin Alexander blasted a three-run homer to left center; re-taking the lead and making it 5-3 ‘Sox.
Harrisonburg scored another in the sixth to make it a 1-run ballgame and got two quick outs after a leadoff walk in the bottom half to bring momentum their way. It quickly came tumbling down, however, as the Tom Sox scored six 2-out runs to make it all but finished. After the pair of outs, 9-straight Tom Sox batters reached base – seven of them via Turk walks. The only batters to collect hits in the inning were Matthew Prevesk (Florida) – who hit a 2-run single for his fourth straight game with an RBI – and Kyle Edwards (Old Dominion), who hit an RBI single in his second plate appearance of the inning. Four of the walks belonged to Turks reliever Ben Craig, while the other three were on the record of Evan Smith.
The ’Sox were not finished, though, as four more runs crossed the plate to end the game early. They were able to score one in the seventh after Prevesk grounded into a double play, sending Cole Wagner home (who had led off the inning with a walk). The game was sealed in the eighth, however, as Wagner blasted a 3-run home run to center to walk it off in run rule fashion. The homer was his fourth of the season, and his second-straight day with a bomb.
Olsen was able to escape the game with a season-high six innings on just 65 pitches, allowing four runs, six hits, walking none, and striking out three. Chandler Marsh (Georgia) closed it out with two innings of scoreless ball before the offense ended it an inning early.
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GAME 2 (by Tucker Myers)
The Turks struck first in game two. In the second inning, two singles and a ground rule double off starter Justin Humenay (VCU) blew the game open for an early 3-0 lead.
The ‘Sox had some work to do, but they were able to rally back. In the third inning, a double by Carter Cunningham put him in scoring position. Logan Amiss (VCU) hit a single into right field and Cunningham rounded home for the Tom Sox’s opening run.
A huge fourth inning allowed the ‘Sox to tie the game. With the bases loaded, Trey Yunger (Wofford) grounded out, but Gavin Abrams (Clemson) had enough time to reach home plate. Cole Wagner put T.J. Williams all the way back against the fence with a deep ball that resulted in a two-run triple to even the game at four apiece.
Harrisonburg answered back in the later innings to regain their lead 5-4 in the sixth, and then put up one more 6-4 in the seventh off a wild pitch.
The ‘Sox shot back into the game in the bottom half of the seventh. They evened the score at six, thanks to a two-run homer by Kalvin Alexander (Florida Southwestern), his second of the day and third-straight game going long. The ‘Sox took their first lead of the game off a Cunningham sacrifice fly that sent Julian Rojas (Radford) home for the 7-6 lead.
Before the Tom Sox could get out with the win, T.J. Williams batted in the Turks’ seventh run with a single in the ninth to put the pressure back on the ‘Sox. With one of Harrisonburg’s catchers on the mound at the end of a 17-inning day, Abrams answered the call with a rocket 3-run shot that everyone in the stands (including his parents) and the Tom Sox dugout knew was gone when it hit the bat. The homer was his first of the season and the second walk-off of the day – and the third walk-off win in four games against the Turks at home this season.
Humenay started the game on the mound, but his day was short. He pitched a pair of innings but allowed four earned runs on five hits, upping his ERA to a team-high 9.88. Jackson Nove (Kentucky) allowed the ‘Sox to remain in striking distance in his four innings, as he struck four out while walking two and allowing one run. Jack Billings (Coastal Carolina) pitched one inning in relief, sending two down on strikes and giving up one run. The ‘Sox threw a curveball to end the game, as position player Garrett Spikes (Georgia) pitched the last two innings, yielding three hits and two strikeouts and earning the win.
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The ‘Sox put pressure on the Turks’ batters all day, as every batter got on base in both games. They consistently made contact and were disciplined from the plate, made evident by their nine strikeouts to 17 walks. The Tom Sox were led by three batters with 3+ hits on the day. Wagner led the squad with a 5-for-9 day, scoring five runs and finishing a double short of the cycle. He knocked in six runs and also walked twice, reaching in seven of his 11 plate appearances. He extended his on-base streak to an incredible 29 games and now has sole possession of the second-longest streak in team history.
Carter Cunningham went 3-for-8 on the day while scoring three runs, knocking in a pair, hitting a double, and walking once. Both of his RBI came on sacrifice flies, and he now has an RBI sacrifice fly in three-straight games.
Kalvin Alexander continued his incredible last five games, hitting a pair of home runs to drive in five clutch runs. He now has a home run in 3-straight games and is slugging .818 over his last five contests.
They have their chance to take sole possession of first place in the division when they play the Woodstock River Bandits (21-15) Friday (July 22) in a rescheduled matchup from July 16. The 7-inning game will start at 7 P.M. at Charlottesville High School. Admission to all 2022 Tom Sox home games is free, courtesy of Carter Bank & Trust.
Additional Notes
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The Tom Sox have now won 16-straight home games against Harrisonburg, dating back to July 12, 2017.
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Of the eight total games against Harrisonburg this season, six of them ended in walk-off fashion (four ninth-inning wins, two run rule walk-offs). Each team collected three walk-off wins at their home field.
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The Tom Sox finish the season 5-3 against the Turks.
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A position player got both the win and loss in game two, the first time this has happened in the last two seasons (and likely more). Garrett Spikes now has a career ERA of 2.08 in four Tom Sox appearances (4.1 innings), three of the four coming last season.
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The ‘Sox have hit seven home runs over their last three games.
