07/03/2010 – Turks Tidbits
TURKS Fall to Generals 9-3 By Thomas Cornwell Boston College Intern
Harrisonburg—Tonight, fireworks not only lit up the sky above Harrisonburg, but also at Eagle Field. Unfortunately for the Harrisonburg TURKS (14-10) a majority of the on field fireworks came from the bats of the Waynesboro Generals (12-11) as the TURKS struggled to find their grove en route to a 9-3 loss at the hands of the visitors from the south.
Things got off to a rather strange start for the TURKS in the top of the first inning when Waynesboro third baseman Grant Fillipitch (Butler) hit a deep fly ball towards TURKS centerfielder Shaun Cooper (Pima C.C.) with two outs. Cooper initially made the catch, which would have ended the inning, but then appeared to drop the ball, allowing Fillipitch to reach third on what was ruled a triple. Fillipitch went on to score on the following Generals at-bat when Andrew Turocy (Akron) singled, giving the Generals a 1-0 lead.
The TURKS were able to tie the game in the third inning when Bobby Brown hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, plating Emilio Pagan (Gardner-Webb). Unfortunately that’s as close as the TURKS would come on this Fourth of July Eve.
The Generals quickly regained the lead when in the bottom of the fourth inning Terrell Thompson (Patrick Henry C.C.) was hit by a Aaron Luchterhand (Redlands C.C.) pitch with the bases loaded, plating a run, giving the Generals a 2-1 lead. The lead was extended to 5-1 on a John Clinard (Austin Peay) bases clearing double down the third base line on the very next Generals at-bat. Waynesboro added another run in the fifth inning to extend their lead to 6-1.
It looked as though the TURKS would have a comeback in them begging in the bottom of the fifth inning. Following a Terrance Jackson (Oklahoma City) single and steal of second base, Joe Huber (St. Joe’s, IN) was walked. Bobby Brown (Arizona) then doubled to left, allowing Jackson to score and Huber to advance to third, cutting the lead to 6-2. The next TURKS batter, Austin Erb (Ashland) grounded out, but Huber was able to score, trimming the deficit to 6-3.
That score held into the top of the eighth inning when the Generals tacked on three more runs to extend their lead to 9-3, ultimately earning taking the victory by the same score.
Tonight was a tough loss for the TURKS at it seems as though the three day holiday break is coming at just the right time as it will allow a few key injuries to heal and give the team much needed rest and time to regroup before tackling the bulk of the season’s second half. There are still many games to be played and to be one by this talented yet occasionally hard to figure out TURKS team, and plenty of time for the team to prepare to be at their best when it matters most.
The TURKS would like to wish their fans a safe and Happy Fourth of July and encourage everyone to head out to the VET Thursday night for a 7:30 p.m. matchup against the ‘Jacks of Covington.