CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After dropping a heartbreaker on Monday night, the Charlottesville Tom Sox (19-8) bounced back on Tuesday, taking down the New Market Rebels (11-21) 3-0.
‘Sox pitching shined on the night, as Mark Perkins (Rice) tossed five scoreless innings and Jordan Little (Virginia Tech) threw four scoreless of his own. Little struck out 11 Rebel batters, a new Tom Sox record, while the team’s 16 combined punchouts tied for the fourth-most all-time.
Perkins worked a scoreless first inning, and the ‘Sox nearly got the first run of the ballgame in the bottom half of the inning. Mark Hindy got the start for New Market, and the Tom Sox put runners on first and second with two outs. Brice Martinez (Wofford) was running on the pitch, which bounced away from catcher Garrett Warden and Martinez easily made it into third. However, he decided to test his luck and come home, but he was thrown out at the plate.
Both Marks worked a scoreless second, and the ‘Sox defense shined in the third. Dante Pozzi laced a one-out double, and the next batter, Luke Smith, lined a ball into center field. While it looked to be able to bring a run home, Sergio Rivera (Florida Southwestern) nailed Pozzi at the plate on a beautiful throw.
The spectacular defense continued in the bottom of the third as Rivera, who reached a bunt single, was gunned down at home by the left fielder Smith. Rivera’s out at home marked the third runner who was thrown out at the dish.
Perkins continued to dominate in the fourth and fifth innings, and head coach Lyndon Coleman went to his bullpen to begin the inning. He called upon Jordan Little, who struck out the side in the sixth.
Charlottesville’s bats came alive in the bottom half of the inning as Martinez notched a one-out single. Henry Ford (Virginia) came to the plate with two outs in the inning, and during his at-bat, a balk was called on Hindy, moving Martinez to second. With Martinez in scoring position, Ford rocketed a ball to deep left for an RBI double, giving the ‘Sox a 1-0 lead.
The Tom Sox weren’t done scoring in the inning as Nathan Fink (Florida Southwestern) lined a single into right field, which scored Ford from second.
With a two-run advantage, Little continued to mow down the Rebel batters in the seventh, once again striking out the side. With one out in the bottom half of the inning, Salvy Alvarez (Florida) tallied a single, and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. The ‘Sox got another runner on base as Rivera worked a walk.
After Alvarez was tagged out in a rundown, the Tom Sox tacked on another run when Kyle Edwards (Old Dominion) stole second, and Rivera came home on the throw to give them a three-run advantage.
Little closed out the contest by striking out five of the final six New Market batters. He finished the game tossing four innings while punching out 11, a new Tom Sox individual record.
The ‘Sox are back in action on Wednesday at CHO Airport Field, taking on the Culpeper Cavaliers. The first pitch is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Additional Notes
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The Tom Sox secure their second shutout of the season after shutting out the Lumberjacks last Wednesday by a 3-0 final.
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Salvy Alvarez’s 18 total putouts are the second-most all-time.
