7/27/2010 – Turks Tidbits
Turks Break Scoreless Tie in Eighth, Flush Royals 2-0 By Thomas Cornwell Boston College Intern
Harrisonburg, VA – For seven-and-a-half innings Tuesday night at Eagle Field TURKS pitcher Kurt Wunderlich (Michigan State) and Winchester pitcher Jon Jones (West Virginia) battled each other pitch on the mound in a manner reminiscent to an Ali-Frazier fight as the teams combined for six hits and a scoreless deadlock. In the bottom of the eighth, however, the TURKS were finally able to rattle Jones, plating the only two runs of the game, and then survive a bases loaded jam in the top of the ninth to secure the win. With the win, the TURKS (21-17) move within game of the Royals (22-16) for second spot in the VBL.
After seeing scoring chances fall by the wayside in the fifth and sixth innings, while preventing the Royals from getting anything going offensively, the TURKS finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth inning. Following a Terrance Jackson (Oklahoma City) fly out, Connor Winn (Georgia Tech) singled with one out and then stole second to give the TURKS their third scoring chance of the night. This time, Harrisonburg capitalized. With two outs, Patrick Savage (Auburn) doubled to right field, scoring Winn from second to give the TURKS a 1-0 lead. Third baseman Scott Dalrymple (Oklahoma City) followed Savage by singling to center, plating Savage and extending the lead to 2-0. Those runs proved to be all the TURKS would need as Stephen Styck (St. Joe’s, IN) relieved Wunderlich to record the final out, escaping a bases loaded threat from the Royals to secure an all important home win.
With part one of their three game stretch against the league’s top teams successfully behind them, the TURKS now turn their attention to tomorrow night when they will entertain Coach Mike Bocock and the third place Luray Wranglers, who they trail by a mere half game. And if the stars align above Eagle Field tomorrow night, the TURKS could find themselves in a second place tie with Winchester heading into Thursday’s game at Haymarket. And if the last three nights are any indication, things may indeed be aligning for the TURKS at the most important time of the season.