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 Walk Away with a Win and a Loss

Written by Kaelyn Spickler
Turks staff writer

Harrisonburg, VA – The Harrisonburg Turks took on the Front Royal Cardinals in a doubleheader last night where both teams walked away with a win. Game one started at 6:00 and ended with a Turks win, 8-1, while game two started at 8:30 and ended in a Cardinals win 5-3.

Coming off their win Friday night, the Turks came out ready to play to start off the first game. Jacob Ferris was on the mound for the Turks and threw seven strikeouts and gave up only three hits in the seven-inning game.

The bottom of the first inning fell in the Turks’ favor with four walks and one hit-by-pitch, forcing two of our runners- second baseman McCann Mellett and first baseman Josh Madole to score.

In the next five innings, the Turks accumulated 10 hits and crossed home plate an additional six times. Mellett gets the first hit of the game in the bottom of the second inning, making it to first base. He will end up scoring off Madole’s single, and Madole will score off catcher, Caston Peter’s double.

In the bottom of the fourth, third baseman Nick Zona hits a single to center-field followed by a free pass for shortstop Zack Budzik. Madole hits a double to bring in both runners.

Travis Reifsnider kicks off the bottom of the fifth inning with his second double of the night. Center-fielder Hayden Cartt hits a single but takes two, and both Cartt and Reifsnider are brought in by Mellett’s single.

The second game had an opposite start which made it hard for the Turks to bounce back.

Jack Goonan of Virginia Tech started on the mound for the Turks, and Harry Brown started behind the plate. With three errors in the top of the first, the Cardinals scored three times.

The second inning was played more Turks style. The top of the second saw three batters up, and three down with Goonan striking out his second batter. In the bottom of the second, center-fielder Hayden Cartt walks and is brought in by left fielder Cam Grimes’ triple. Zona walks, and Grimes will score during Mellett’s at-bat.

During the top of the third, Jack Roberts of Elon University takes the mound for Goonan. Roberts will strike out two batters and allow four hits.

The bases are loaded in the bottom of the third with Mellett on third, Budzik on second, and right fielder Aaron Levy on first- all three getting a free pass. The inning ends without any additional runs and three Turks’ runners left on base.

Jacob Edwards fills in for Madole in the right field, Peter moves back to catcher, and Aaron Levy moves to first base in the top of the fourth. These changes prove to be beneficial for the Turks with three Cardinals’ batters up, and three down.

In the bottom of the fifth, we see bases loaded yet again with Mellett on third from a walk, Budzik on second, and Edwards on first from a walk. Aaron Levy will take a walk, which brings in Mellett to score; however, the other two runners will be left on.

The remaining two innings keep the game at 5-3 with the Cardinals ahead.

We would like to thank all of the youth groups who brought their youth for our Pack the Pew night. Be on the lookout as we have more Pack the Pew night opportunities. Up next, the Turks will face Winchester this coming Tuesday at home at 7:30 p.m.