Written by Nathan Rishell
Staff Writer
Harrisonburg, VA – Friday night, Turks fans filed into Veteran’s Memorial Park apprehensive of the ominous rain clouds that loomed overhead, but were pleasantly surprised to see the skies clear in anticipation of a contest against the Front Royal Cardinals.
The evening featured the fourth MedExpress Family Fun Night of the season, replete with a variety of games and activities for people of all ages. However, once the focus shifted to the first pitch, it was all business.
Lights-out defense by the Turks ensured that Ty Andrus stepped to the plate at the top of the order without facing a deficit. Despite the first three batters making solid contact on the ball, solid fielding by the Cardinals sent Harrisonburg to the dugout with the score tied at nil.
In the second, a series of errant pitches resulted in the bases being loaded for the Cardinals, who capitalized by recording four runs on five hits. The Turks secured a spot on the scoreboard after Tony Beam reached home following a triple from Greg Popatak, but would have to wait until the bottom of the seventh to add another—with Beam recording his second run of the night.
Front Royal produced six runs over the course of two innings in the seventh and eighth to seal the deal in an 11-4 win that provided plenty of talking points for the coaches of a Harrisonburg team that will look to shore up any deficiencies before the end of the season and upcoming playoffs.