W: Dillon Ortman (2-0)
L: Stuckey (0-1)
S: Shawn O’Neill (3)
The Turks survived a late Staunton rally to hold on for a 10-7 win Tuesday night. It was the league-high eighth win for the Turks.
After Sunday’s home loss to Waynesboro, Harrisonburg (8-2) kicked off its latest bounce-back campaign with a bang. AJ Murray’s (2/4, 4 RBI) three-run homer over the left field wall helped the Turks to an early 4-0 advantage. By the end of the second inning, the home team had piled up a seemingly insurmountable 10-0 lead.
The visiting Braves (4-5) refused to go away though. Staunton got on the board with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning, but they really did their damage late in the eighth when three different Harrisonburg relief pitchers struggled to end the inning. By the end of the frame, Staunton had notched five extra runs and brought the game within reach, only to have it snatched away by Turks pitcher Shawn O’Neill. Under the threat of a blown save opportunity, O’Neill recorded the final six outs of the game—two of which were ninth inning strikeouts—to ice the game without extra innings.
Dillon Ortman (whose 20th birthday is tomorrow, June 13) earned the win for Harrisonburg with two earned runs in six full innings of action. He improves to 2-0 as a starter.
Jerry Stuckey, who allowed four runs in one inning on the mound, took the loss for Staunton. It was his first decision of the season.
The Turks put their undefeated road record to the test tomorrow in Woodstock. They will return to Veteran’s Memorial Park for two consecutive home games later this week.