7/03/2007 – Staunton News Leader
Written By Ron Hartlaub Sports Writer HARRISONBURG — Chad Sherman has been able to accomplish something that few others in the Valley Baseball League have been able to do. Sherman held Harrisonburg to just two hits over six innings Monday night, and pitched the Staunton Braves to a 5-1 victory over the Turks at Veterans Memorial Stadium. In two starts against the top-hitting team in the league, the right-hander from Panola J.C. has kept Harrisonburg to three hits in 11 innings of work. The Turks entered the game with a .287 team batting average, which is 27 points higher than the next best team. "I’m just throwing strikes, keeping the ball down and getting ahead of them," said Sherman, who walked one and fanned three in picking up his second win of the year. "They’re a good hitting team, one through nine." Staunton played flawless baseball behind Sherman after self-destructing the night before in a 7-6 loss at New Market. The Braves did not commit an error, got clutch hits and did not make any baserunning mistakes like they did on Sunday. "(Sunday) night was one of the craziest games I’ve ever been involved with," said Sherman of the loss to the Rebels. "It was big to come in here and get up early." "Sherman threw well, the bullpen threw well, we got a big hit from (David) Burns and played good defense," said Staunton manager Lance Mauck. "We couldn’t say that 24 hours ago." While the Braves were playing solid ball, the same couldn’t be said of the Turks, who entered the game with the best winning percentage in the league. A third-inning error helped Staunton score an unearned run on a sac fly by Zach Barrett to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Sherman made his only mistake of the night. He left a 3-1 pitch up in the strike zone and Mike Pericht gave it a ride out to straightaway center to even the score at 1-1. The Braves finally solved Harrisonburg starter Tim Wheeler in the sixth. Wheeler, who had not allowed an earned run in his first 24 innings pitched this season, yielded a one-out infield single to Barrett. Burns followed by jerking a 3-1 pitch deep over the fence in right, giving the Braves the lead for good. Staunton added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth. Josh Page doubled and scored on Barrett’s infield grounder that was misplayed. A sacrifice fly from Jamie Hayes plated Barrett for the final tally. Robbie Conver hurled two hitless innings of relief and Bobby Hernandez pitched a perfect ninth to wrap up the win. The Braves (13-11) will try to make it two in a row when they travel to Front Royal tonight. STAUNTON 001 002 020 — 5 7 0 HARRISONBURG 000 010 000 — 1 2 3 Sherman, Conver (7), Hernandez (9) and Clendenin. T. Wheeler, Klumpp (7), Parker (8) and Pericht. W — Sherman. L — T. Wheeler. HR — Pericht (H) 5th, none on; Burns (S) 6th, one on.