Generals fall 1 run short

STAUNTON — Staunton pitching was powerful early, but the Generals rallied late to close the game to 7-6 Friday night at Moxie Stadium.

“Just another day in the Valley,” Waynesboro assistant coach Derek McDaniel laughed after the teams combined for two hits through six innings only to play to a 7-6 score. “We just have to forget about some of the defensive miscues and come back again tomorrow.”

The Braves’ Aaron Swenson was untouchable. Waynesboro could not muster a hit against the Staunton ace through six innings.

Generals’ starter Robert Sabo was just as good.

Sabo only pitched four innings in his first start, but gave up one hit.

“We had him on a pitch count,” McDaniel said. “He didn’t start at school and we wanted to take it slow but he threw the ball well tonight.”

The first General reliever Ryan Knott had a rough time in the fifth inning.Chris Duffy doubled to deep right-center with on out in the fifth.

After a strikeout, Will Owens picked up a single on a perfectly laid down the third base line that put runners on the corners for leadoff man Chris Clinton in a tie game with two outs.

Clinton stroked a ground ball to second baseman Cory Kovanda.

The ball hit off the end of his glove for what looked to be an error, but it was ruled a hit as Duffy crossed the plate for the first run of the game.

With Donovan Huffer up, the Generals appeared to settle down after Rob Kral visited the mound to talk to Knott.

On a 1-1 count, Knott uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Owens to pick up the ninety extra feet to score from third. The two runs looked to hold up for Swenson.

One runner reached base until the seventh inning for Waynesboro.

To start the seventh inning, Swenson plunked Alex McClure in the arm.McClure stole second during Tony Caldwell’s at bat, the Generals’ first runner in scoring position for the game.

Swenson then walked Kral after striking out Caldwell.

AJ Kirby-Jones laced a single to right field, but he was held McClure up at third to load the bases.

Ryan Mathews, a batter who had been struggling early in the season, hit a fly ball to center.

Clinton came on and dived but could not come up with the single, allowing McClure and Kral to tie the score 2-2 before Kirby-Jones was tagged out at third.

John Dishon started off the seventh and Knott’s last inning with a single.

Dishon stole second on the first pitch to Duffy and reached third when Kral’s throw down sailed into center field.

A single back up the middle off the bat of Anthony Porter scored Dishon.

One batter later, an eerily similar single by Clinton scored Porter.

After Clinton stole second and McClure did everything in his power to save another throw from going into center, Huffer stepped in again.

If the night could not get any worse for Kral, Huffer struck out but the play merited a throw down to first.

Kral threw the ball way into left field, nowhere near Kirby-Jones, putting Huffer on second and scoring Clinton with the score 5-2.

“There was a stretch where they scored five runs on two hits because of our defense,” McDaniel stated. “Good teams take advantage of those things and Staunton is a good team.”

Staunton got to Andrew Saab in the eighth for two more runs.

Down five in the ninth inning, Waynesboro rallied to pick up a run but the Braves brought in closer Donald Howell to try to shut the door.

With the Generals’ faithful behind him vocally, Mathews took the first pitch he saw from Howell into center for a two run double.

Next batter Rhett Stafford doubled in Mathews from second with a shot down the left field line.