06/12/2008 – Daily News Record
Errors Key in Front Royal’s 6-4 Win Written By Dustin Dopirak HARRISONBURG – There comes a moment in every baseball manager’s career when he has to deal with the harsh reality of just how little control he has over the game in front of him. Bob Wease is having one of those moments. The Harrisonburg Turks’ owner/manager was left grasping for answers Wednesday night as the Turks dropped their sixth straight game, falling 6-4 to Front Royal in a Valley League game at Memorial Stadium. Wease’s team is now 2-8, which he says is the worst start he’s ever had, not only as a Valley League manager, but with any team he’s ever been associated with. That mark is also the worst in this year’s VBL. "I’ve never had a year like this," Wease said Wednesday night, sitting on a bleacher seat and leaning back on the Memorial Stadium press box wall. "I’ve never had year as frustrating as this because I know that these guys are better ball players than what these guys are showing. I know it. I know they are. I feel like my hands are tied or something. … I’m just lost right now, I really am." It got worse for Wease on Wednesday because it wasn’t just the team’s maligned offense – which came into the game hitting .199 – that had problems. The Turks committed four errors in the fifth inning, which turned into five runs, three of them unearned, forcing them to dig out of a hole the rest of the way. "Somebody makes an error and it puts a little more pressure on you on the next play," Wease said. "Next thing you know somebody boots it again." The ugliest play of the bunch came on a bunt down the third base line by Front Royal second baseman Chad Cunningham. Third baseman Brett Stewart fielded it, but skipped the throw wide of the bag and it bounced to the bench near the Turks’ bullpen. Center fielder Jacob Fabry came around and scored. Catcher Mike Pericht took the throw from second baseman Landon Camp and sprawled out to put his glove in front of the plate to try to get third baseman Jesse Henry out, but Henry’s foot stopped before he hit the glove, he popped up and reached to touch the plate with his hand to score safely. The Turks started a comeback in the bottom half of the inning when designated hitter Wilsisky Baez scored on an error, Stewart had an RBI groundout and B.J. Wheeler had an RBI single. The Cardinals (6-4) got an insurance run in the sixth on an RBI groundout by Henry, however. After an RBI single by Harrisonburg right fielder Michael Precise in the sixth, the Turks were blanked the rest of the way. They left runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth inning and stranded 12 in the game while striking out eight times, upping their ugly season total to 87 for the year. Front Royal 000 051 000 – 6 11 1 Harrisonburg 000 031 000 – 4 9 4 Graybill, Rossignol (5), Riemenschneider (6), Crimmell (7), Singer (9) and Shilling. Parker, Smith (7) and Pericht. W-Rossignol (1-0). L-Parker (0-1). S-Singer (1).