Written by Daniel Ware
Turks Staff Writer
HARRISONBURG, Va.–The Turks, behind the arms of starter Donnie Sellers (Wake Forest) and Jake Lee (Georgia Tech), combined to throw a one-hitter and defeated the Charlottesville Tom Sox 2-0 in the second game of Sunday night’s seven-inning doubleheader at Veterans Memorial Park.
Mason George’s 2-run double in the fourth was all the Turks (8-5) needed to win, as Sellers was stellar on the mound tonight.
It was Sellers’ first start of the season for the Turks, making all three of his previous appearances in relief situations, and he had it going all night allowing no hits, one walk and striking out four batters.
He recorded his first win of the season, bringing his record to 1-0, and lowered his ERA down to 0.81. In his four appearances for the Turks he has struck out 13 and given up just one walk in 11 innings pitched.
The Turks one out away from completing the combined no-hitter, but Tom Sox shortstop Bruce Steel (Wake Forest) crushed a double to the right-field wall to break it up.
It was a nice bounce-back win for the Turks, who lost the first game of the doubleheader 6-1.
Led by starting pitcher Brooks Crawford (Clemson), the Tom Sox were able to effectively quiet the Turks’ bats for much of the game. The right-hander, now 1-1, got his first win of the season allowing just one run over six and a third innings of work.
The lone run for the Turks came in the bottom of the fifth, when catcher Trevor Denton (Guilford) took Crawford deep to left field for his first home run of the season.
John McCarren (Duke), 1-1, made his second start of the season for the Turks on the mound in game one, and struggled at times.
The Tom Sox got things going in the top of the third, when McCarren walked Tom Sox center fielder D.J. Lee (Richmond). After second baseman Dupree Hart (College of Charleston) doubled to left field, advancing Lee to third, Lee scored on a wild pitch by McCarren. Hart, who advanced to third on the wild pitch, scored on a groundout by Justin Novak (Virginia).
The Tom Sox added another run in the sixth on an RBI single by left fielder Tony Giannini (Ohio), and three in the seventh, capped off by a 2-run home run to left-center by Steel off of Eric Yankey (JMU).
The Turks are in action Monday night against the New Market Rebels (6-9) at Veterans Memorial Park.