Harrisonburg Turks

Member of the Valley Baseball League and NACSB.

  • 1955 VBL Champions
  • 1958 VBL Champions
  • 1959 VBL Champions
  • 1962 VBL Champions
  • 1964 VBL Champions
  • 1969 VBL Champions
  • 1970 VBL Champions
  • 1971 VBL Champions
  • 1977 VBL Champions
  • 1991 VBL Champions
  • 2000 VBL Champions
  • 2012 VBL Champions
  • 2023 VBL Champions

Turks Chop Down the Lumberjacks 5-3

Written By Bennett Conlin
Broadcasting Intern

Covington, VA – Harrisonburg Turks manager Bob Wease’s gamesmanship often results in him being compared to a card player. With a full complement of pieces now in town after players arriving late due to postseason success with their collegiate clubs, Wease and the Turks have been coming up aces.

Wake Forest pitchers Carter Bach and Chris Farish combined with rising Longwood sophomore John Gregory to limit the Covington Lumberjacks to just three runs in the Turks’ 5-3 win on Thursday night. The victory moves Harrisonburg to 7-10, while Covington drops to 5-11 as the Turks have rattled off three consecutive victories.

Bach got the start for the Turks and ended up leaving with a no decision, but the rising sophomore fired five innings, while allowing just one unearned run on one hit. Bach walked three and struck out four Lumberjacks. The 6-foot-7-inch lefty was removed from the game with the score tied 1-1.

Farish relieved his fellow Demon Deacon and eventually earned the victory on the hill. He threw three innings, while allowing two runs and striking out a whopping nine batters.

  The Turks dropped four runs over the sixth through eighth innings thanks to RBIs from three different players. The red-hot Tony Beam (UTSA) drove in a run with an RBI double in the sixth to put the Turks up 2-1. After Covington tied the game in the bottom half of the frame, Hunter Seay (Baylor), a versatile prospect from Baylor, drove in another run in the top half of the seventh to give Harrisonburg a 3-2 lead. Joe Lytle’s (OCU) two-run, bases loaded double in the top of the eighth gave the Turks a commanding 5-2 advantage.

Covington added one run in the bottom half to cut the deficit to 5-3 heading to the ninth. After the Turks went scoreless, the bullpen made sure the Turks were headed home with their longest win streak of the season.

Gregory, a young left-handed pitcher, relieved Farish in the ninth and closed the door on the Lumberjacks as he allowed just one baserunner and struck out two.

Up next, the Turks will host Staunton on Friday night with first pitch scheduled for 7:30 p.m. If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, go to Harrisonburgturks.com and click on “Listen Live” to hear the live webcast. Dave Norman and Bennett Conlin will be on the call.