Two nights earlier, Shane Halley was manning center field in the late innings of one of the more memorable College World Series games ever played. Sunday night, Halley, a University of Virginia junior, was in center at Kate Collins Field, and picking up the game-winning RBI for the Waynesboro Generals.
“The College World Series was a blast. We had a great time. We were welcomed with wide arms there. It didn’t end the way we wanted it to,” said Halley, an outfielder and pitcher for the top-ranked Cavs, who were knocked out of the College World Series by South Carolina in a 3-2, 13-inning final on Friday night.
Halley hit a one-out, fourth-inning fly ball to left field that scored Dykota Spiess from third. The sacrifice fly made it 2-1 Waynesboro, and that score held up as the final behind a game performance by starting pitcher Tim Leather, who gave up a run on four hits in seven innings on the mound.
Halley went 1-for-2 at the plate, getting on base on a seventh-inning single.
Not bad for that quick transition from one season to another.
“I wanted to get on the field to start playing, get some ABs. I want to get as many ABs as possible. This is my chance,” Halley said.