The line score was, in a word, ugly – 24 runs, 27 hits, eight errors. Another number stood above all others – one. That’s the winning streak that the Staunton Braves have over the Waynesboro Generals after a 13-11 win in the Valley League season opener for both teams Friday night at Linco Park at Kate Collins Field.
“We made some bad decisions on bunt plays. That hurt us. And we put too many runners on base on walks,” Generals coach Mike Bocock said.
Waynesboro had come in having won 17 of its last 18 against its cross-county rival, including all 10 in a rare season sweep in 2012. It was Staunton that drew first blood in the first matchup in 2013, on a two-run homer to left field by cleanup hitter Bryant Hayman.
Waynesboro scored three in the third on a two-run single by Brian Beard and an RBI single by Quinn Griffith, and extended its lead to 5-2 in the fourth on back-to-back triples by Brian Bocock and Ben Boykin.
The Braves took control with a fivespot in the fifth, a single run in the sixth and another five-run inning in the seventh that put Staunton up 13-8.
A Bocock three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth cut the lead to 13-11, but Waynesboro was not able to mount any further rallies from there.
“What I like about our guys is, I thought we battled tremendously. We kept battling back and battling back. We just need to be more patient. When you’re trying to rally, you can’t do everything at once,” Mike Bocock said.
Waynesboro (0-1) travels to Covington (0-1) on Saturday. The Generals will return home on Sunday to host New Market in the WSVA-550AM Game of the Week. The broadcast will begin with a pregame show hosted by play-by-play broadcaster Chris Graham at 6:30 p.m. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
More online at www.WaynesboroGenerals.net.
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