CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A balmy evening at Charlottesville High School set the stage for a heated rematch between the Charlottesville Tom Sox (8-3) and the Culpeper Cavaliers (2-8). Having lost to the ‘Sox twice already this season, the Cavaliers hoped to redeem themselves but came up just short in a marathon, eleven-inning ballgame.
A hitless top of the first for starting pitcher Tommy Roldan (Virginia) assisted by a beautiful catch by Nick Parham (East Carolina) started the game off and sent the ‘Sox to bat, setting the stage for an Ethan Gibson (Virginia Tech) one-man rally. Gibson put Charlottesville on the board first, ripping a triple into right-center field before scampering home on a passed ball to give the ‘Sox a 1-0 lead.
The Cavaliers responded immediately in the top of the second, however, as Roldan ran into some trouble, surrendering two free passes with the bases loaded. The ‘Sox were forced to make an early call to the bullpen as Will Pearson (Georgia) stepped in for Roldan to close out the top of the inning with Culpeper up 2-1.
Strong defense from the ‘Sox left the Cavaliers scoreless in the third, and in the bottom of the inning, Gibson returned for part two, working his way around the bases and scoring on a Colby Wallace (East Carolina) single that also plated birthday boy Cale Stricklin (Auburn), giving Charlottesville a 3-2 lead.
Pearson and Marco Levari (Old Dominion) combined to get the ‘Sox through the middle innings without relinquishing their 3-2 lead, but Charlottesville wasn’t able to add any insurance at the plate.
Thomas Whelan (Davidson) stepped in for Levari on the bump and tossed a scoreless eighth, but with the ‘Sox clinging to a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, a hit by Culpeper’s Brock Bollinger gave Eric Correra just enough time to scurry home and tie the game 3-3.
With Charlottesville unable to end the ballgame in the bottom of the ninth, Ayden Alexander (George Washington) stepped in to pitch as the two teams entered extra innings. With an automatic runner on second to begin the frame, the Cavaliers quickly capitalized with a hit to make it 4-3. The ‘Sox avoided further damage, though, as Stricklin recovered from a passed ball with cat-like quickness, scampering to the backstop and flicking the ball to Alexander to get a game-saving out at the plate.
Down to their final out in the bottom of the tenth, Gibson — Charlottesville’s automatic runner — saved the Tom Sox’s night, scoring on a wild pitch for the second time in the game and tying the score 4-4.
The ‘Sox escaped the top of the eleventh without allowing any further damage, setting the stage for Charlottesville to end things in the bottom of the frame. After advancing to third on a sac fly, automatic runner David Wiley (Wofford) trotted home on a deep fly ball by Ryan Wynn (Wofford). The ‘Sox mobbed the pair of Terriers on the infield as Charlottesville walked off the Cavaliers 5-4.
Up Next:
The Charlottesville Tom Sox return to Charlottesville High School Saturday for a matchup with the Waynesboro Generals at home. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. on matching day.
Additional Notes:
- The Tom Sox played 11 innings for the first time since June 27, 2019, a 12-inning game against Strasburg.
- Colby Wallace went 2-for-5 with three runs and two RBI in his team debut.
- After hitting 11 home runs in their first eight games, the Tom Sox do not have a home run across their last three.
- Charlottesville scored a first inning run for the seventh time in 11 games. They are 6-1 in such games.
