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

Cardinals Churn Triples to End Turks’ Winning Streak

Jen Kulju
Turks Staff Writer

HARRISONBURG – The Front Royal Cardinals churned four triples to top the Turks 10-7 and snap their four-game winning streak on Diary Night at Veterans Memorial Park on Wednesday. The Turks added a triple of their own, bumping the total number of triples in the game to five—a rarity in the game of baseball. The Turks got in a deficit early, but rebounded to even the score. Unfortunately, the Cardinals continued to rack up the runs, and while the Turks stayed relatively close, they were unable to pull out the win.

Alex Cimaroli tripled off of Turks’ pitcher Alex Rodriguez (Wingate) to start the game. Cimaroli scored on a groundout to first base by Spencer Packard. With solid pitching by Ramon Miranda, the Cardinals added three more in the third and one in the fourth to take a 5-0 lead against the Turks.

And while the Turks were down, they were not out. After two groundouts in the fourth, Brett Whelton (McNeese State) was hit by a pitch and reached third when Zach Little (Wingate) grounded the ball to third baseman Webb Little, who overthrew it to first. Whelton scored on an error by second baseman Cimaroli. With Nussman on first, Elian Merejo (Georgia State) walked, bringing up Cam Irvine (Virginia Tech). Irvine blooped a ball into center field for a hit, scoring both Nussman and Merejo.

After a four-run fourth, the Turks’ second baseman Austin Embler (UNC Greensboro)—who drove in the winning run in Monday night’s game against the Covington Lumberjacks—started the fifth with a triple over Brady Ballstadt’s head in center field. Embler scored on a flyout to center by Paul Castillo (Jacksonville University).

 

 

Tied 5-5, the Turks brought in lefty Kevin Mintz (UNC Wilmington) at the top of the sixth to replace Jake Lane (Florida Tech), who pitched the fourth and fifth innings. Mintz struck out one, but otherwise struggled with his control. After two walks, a wild pitch and a stolen base led to a run by the Cardinals, Josh Karklin (Wingate) was brought in to get the final out of the inning.

 

The Cardinals added two more runs in the eighth against Turks’ pitcher Cade Bullinger (Midland College). Shortstop Alex Briggs doubled down the line in left with two outs, and scored on a single by Spencer Packard. Packard’s hit also brought in Sam Little, who had walked along with Cimaroli.

The Turks responded with two runs at the bottom of the inning against Cardinals’ righty Michael Biasiello, who also pitched the sixth and seventh innings. Whelton and Z. Little both singled to start off the eighth. Whelton scored on a double by Luke Nussman (Shenandoah), and Z. Little scored when Merejo grounded out to second base off of new pitcher Rob Griswald.

Down 8-7, a win still seemed within the Turks’ reach; however, the Cardinals clinched it with two insurance runs off of new pitcher Rafe Schindler (New Orleans) in the ninth.

Miranda got the win while Mintz got the loss. Offensively, both Embler and Z. Little had two hits each for the Turks, who are now 5-3. They play their next game on Thursday in Charlottesville.