Turks Blitz Lumberjacks Early, Hold on for 4-1 Win (Game 1)

W: Sam Kmiec (5-1)
L: Ryan Hudspeth (0-2)
On top of another strong outing from starter Sam Kmiec, Harrisonburg scored four runs early on visiting Covington to earn a 4-1 victory in the Turks’ first home game in seven days.

In a trademark Turks win, Harrisonburg (24-9) rang up four scores in the bottom of the second and didn’t score again for the remainder of the seven-inning contest. First baseman Mike Warren hit a leadoff double that came down just left of the first base line, and advanced a base when second baseman Thomas Smith hit a shallow single to right field. Warren scored when DH Joe Napolitano reached on a fielder’s choice.

Then, things got complicated. Napolitano reached second base upon left fielder Eric Kalbfleisch’s single to right, but was thrown out in an almost-double play at third base during catcher Joshua Clark’s at bat. But as Covington third baseman Mike Gilbert tried to turn the out at first but misfired, advancing both Kalbfleisch and and Clark into scoring position. Right fielder John Welborn and center fielder Thomas Spitz both hit RBI-singles to drive in Kalbfleisch and Clark, respectively.

The Turks’ scoring was finalized when Welborn stole home amidst a tagout attempt at second.

Warren and Kalbfleisch both finished the game 2 of 2 with one run scored apiece.

Kmiec turned in another quality outing, allowing six hits but only one run. He recorded a season-high eight strikeouts, and earned his fifth win of the summer. He’s the second Harrisonburg player to reach that mark this year, behind Turks ace Justin Camp.

Covington pitcher Ryan Hudspeth is charged with the loss. It’s his second loss of the summer and his first decision since June 5. He recorded no strikeouts or walks in 1 2/3 innings on the mound.