Generals fall to Luray

The Waynesboro Generals faced the Wranglers from Luray on Thursday night for another night of baseball at Fishburne Military Park at Kate Collins Field. The Generals fell to the Wranglers 5-3.

“It was a good game,” said Waynesboro coach Andy Chalot. “Year in, year out Luray is a good team. Year in, year out Waynesboro is a good team. It was a close game — what I expected. That’s baseball.”

The Generals made it a game early on when shortstop Alex McClure hit a single then, after advancing to second on a wild pitch, he was sent on to third on a Corey Kovanda single. Kovanda finished the game going 3-for-5. McClure scored the first run of the game off of a Tony Caldwell single. McClure and Caldwell were both 1-for-4 on the night.

The Wranglers scored two runs in the third off three hits. Pablo Bermudez hit a stand-up double to the right-field wall. He was eventually brought home by A.J. Warrensberger. Second baseman Josh Wright also scored in the inning.

The Wranglers advanced their lead over the Generals in the seventh when Vickash Ramjit hit a single that just missed the pitcher’s glove. A sacrifice hit by Josh Wright and a deep ball hit by Bermudez sent him home.

Chalot was ejected from the game in the eighth inning for arguing a checked swing.

“I deserved it,” said Chalot. “But, as long as I’m being held accountable, they need to be held accountable too. [The umpires] both did a less than mediocre job.”

That wasn’t the only problem the Generals faced in the eighth inning. D.J. Hicks was sent home when Ramjit hit an RBI double that hit the left-field wall. Ramjit then scored too when Wright hit an RBI double deep into left field.

The Generals, attempting to mount a comeback, scored early in the eighth when Kovanda was sent across the plate by an RBI triple hit deep into right field by Caldwell. Caldwell was sent home later as the right fielder, Ryan Matthews, hit a line drive into left field that was bobbled by the Wrangler shortstop. A wild pitch advanced both runners who couldn’t be brought home and were left on base.

“They had a few timely hits in the second,” Chalot said. “It just wasn’t enough.”