Written by Brien Krug
Turks Staff Writer
7/15/2021
Following a doubleheader split against Covington the Turks were looking to get back above .500 as they traveled to Waynesboro to play the Generals in a pivotal South Division matchup.
Following a quiet 1st inning from both offenses, the Turks would strike first in the 2nd. A Connor Hartigan 2B would get the inning started for Harrisonburg. The Turks would then move him over and then move him in on an RBI groundout from Bryce Safferwich. With 2 outs and no one on Frederic Walter would hit a liner out to center that the Waynesboro center fielder, Max Weller, would make a diving attempt at but miss letting the ball go all the way to the wall allowing Walter to round the bases for an inside the park home run.
The Turks weren’t done yet. In the 3rd 8 straight Turk hitter would reach base on 6 hits, a walk, and a hit by a pitch and after Crispin reached on an error from the Generals shortstop all 8 of those Turk hitters would come around to score and Harrisonburg had opened up an early 10-0 lead.
The Generals would put up a fight. Starting in the home half of the 3rd, 4 straight Waynesboro hitters would reach safely. A sac fly to the left would score the 2nd run but the starter, Logan McClure, a 2021 VBL All-Star, would get a strikeout and a flyout to get out of the inning preventing any further damage.
Harrisonburg would go on to strike for runs in both the 4th and 5th innings. In the 4th a leadoff single by Lockett, shortly followed up by an RBI double from Jordan Sweeney scored the Turks 11th run. In the 5th Carlos Marte would get a 1 out single and be moved to the 3rd quickly on a single from Peyton Crispin then allowing Logan McNeely to ground out scoring Marte giving the Turks the 12-2 lead.
The Generals would cut into the lead in the 6th after a bloop single would score a run making it 12-3. But the Turks would respond in the 8th putting together a small 2 out rally. A double from Lockett followed by an RBI single from Hartigan, his 3rd hit and 2nd RBI of the game would extend the lead back to 10.
Waynesboro would make it interesting in the 8th. A single and a triple would score the first run of the inning for the Generals. Back-to-back errors would score the 2nd and 3rd runs for Waynesboro and a groundout would score the 4th cutting the Turks lead to 6 at 13-7. After stranding the bases loaded in the 9th, Christian Ciuffetelli, who came in for Jackson Dennies in the 8th, would walk the first batter and the lights at Kate Collins Field would go dark. After an approximately 30-minute delay, Nicholas Borek would come on and set down the rest of the Generals in order to end the game.
The Turks improve to over .500 and take sole possession of 2nd in the South with a 13-7 win. Due to a positive test and contact tracing within the Covington roster, tonight’s doubleheader v. Covington has been canceled and the Turks (17-16) will next be in action when they travel to Charlottesville to take on the first place Tom Sox (24-9)