Harrisonburg Turks

Member of the Valley Baseball League and NACSB.

  • 1955 VBL Champions
  • 1958 VBL Champions
  • 1959 VBL Champions
  • 1962 VBL Champions
  • 1964 VBL Champions
  • 1969 VBL Champions
  • 1970 VBL Champions
  • 1971 VBL Champions
  • 1977 VBL Champions
  • 1991 VBL Champions
  • 2000 VBL Champions
  • 2012 VBL Champions
  • 2023 VBL Champions

Turks Rally Late To Beat Braves

Written By Shane Mettlen
Special Correspondent
Daily News Record

STAUNTON – There’s a huge difference between going 0-for-5  at the plate and 1-for-6.

Just ask Elliott Cary.

The Harrisonburg outfielder finally got his first hit Wednesday in the top of the ninth inning when he blasted a two-out double off the wall in right to drive in the tying run as the Turks came from behind twice in the final three innings to beat Staunton 10-9.

“I don’t worry about the numbers,” Cary, an Oregon State junior said. “But 1-for-6 feels a whole lot better now. It was a rough night at first, but the last five days I had a wrist injury and I knew it would take a few at-bats to get back into a grove.”

The Turks secured the victory to improve to 21-20 after Ty Andrus came home from third on a wild pitch.

Harrisonburg rallied from five runs down to tie the game in the seventh inning, but Staunton’s Jay Charleston singled, stole second and then scored on a base hit in the eighth to give the Braves the lead back before the Turks struck again in the ninth.

Very little was going right early for the Turks. Not until the seventh inning. That was when a five-run frame sparked a furious Turks rally. The victory allowed Harrisonburg to stay alone in secondplace in the Valley Baseball League’s South Division with one game to go.

“We’ve been sinning some games,” Harrisonburg manager Bob Wease said. “The guys came out and got behind today and battled back. I think we have a good ball club and I’ve got guys who will not give up.”

Baylor sophomore Hunter Seay came up with the big two-out hit for Harrisonburg in the seventh, belting a three-run double off the wall in center field to tie the game at 8.

Seay went 4-for-5 with five RBIs to lead the Turks, while Luke Nussman and Andrus each had three hits. Dominic Diaz allowed two hits in three innings of relief to get the win.

Early on it was a struggle for Harrisonburg starter Carter Bach, though the Wake Forest sophomore certainly looked the part when he took the mound. The 6-7, 220-pound lefty, with a fastball in the 90’s, showed the ability to overpower hitters at times. But after spending his freshman season with the Demon Deacons working out of thebullpen, the process of developing the control and stamina needed to be a starter has been rocky at times. Wednesday night at Moxie Stadium, the Braves were just the team to take advantage.

Bach struck out six in four innings, and walked only two. But the Clifton native often found himself falling behind in the count in crucial situations and the Braves were able to turn five hits against Bach into five earned runs.

With arguably the fastest lineup in the Valley League, the Braves benefited greatly when Bach had trouble finding the strike zone. Staunton scored twice in the bottom of the first after Tennessee outfielder Charleston knocked a one-out double to left. Charleston, the league leader with 34 stolen bases, stole third and then scored on a wild pitch. Austin Edens followed it up with a solo shot to center to give the Braves a 2-0 lead after one inning.

Staunton tacked on another run in the third after Payton Robertson walked onfour pitches then stole two bases before scoring on a ground ball to third. Robertson scored again on a sac fly in the fourth after doubling to lead off the inning.

Staunton tacked on another run in the third after Payton Robertson walked on four pitches then stole two bases before scoring on a ground ball to third. Robertson scored again on a sac fly in the fourth after doubling to lead off the inning.

Charleston went 3-for-5 with three runs to lead Staunton.

Starter Corley Woods allowed just one earned run on five hits in five innings for the Braves, but was stuck with a no-decision after the bullpen collapse.

Things didn’t get better for the Turks right away when they went to the bullpen. Another left-hander, Florida State sophomore Grant Stewart, had even more trouble finding the strike zone and walked in a run before East Carolina pitcher Davis Kirkpatrick took over with one out in the fifth and got the Turks out of a bases loaded jam.

The Braves looked like they’d broke the game open against Kirkpatrick in the sixth with two more runs on four hits to make it 8-3 Staunton heading into the seventh before the Turks offense came alive.

Harrisonburg closes out the regular season today at home against Covington while Staunton travels to Charlottesville to face the division-leading TomSox.