A three-run rally in the seventh pushed the Waynesboro Generals ahead to say, and the Generals held off the Rockbridge Rapids 5-4 on Wednesday.
Taylor Sandefur (junior, Western Carolina) looked good in his first start of the season for Waynesboro, going five innings and giving up two runs on five hits while striking three and not issuing a walk. Sandefur, a 2010 Valley League All-Star in Waynesboro, left with the game tied 2-2 after surrendering a pair of two-out runs in the top of the fifth on back-to-back run-scoring hits by Kyle Edwards and Hunter Higgerson.
Another two-out hit in the seventh by Higgerson scored Edwards from second and gave Rockbridge a 3-2 lead.
Waynesboro answered in the bottom half of the inning. Thomas Stallings (sophomore, VMI) led off with a base on balls, and Tyler Bocock (sophomore, Stetson) was hit by a pitch by Rockbridge starter Austin Stephens (0-1). Julius Gaines (sophomore, Florida International) sacrificed the runners to second and third with one out. Brian Beard (freshman, Old Dominion) greeted reliever John Fissel by hitting his first pitch to deep right for a sacrifice fly that scored Stallings from third and knotted the game at 3-3.
Ben Boykin (junior, College of Charleston) was hit by a pitch and stole second, after which Rockbridge decided to walk Roche Woodard (sophomore, Florida International) to load the bases. Dale Urquhart Jr. (sophomore, Western Carolina) hit an apparent inning-ending grounder on a 3-2 pitch from the third Rockbridge pitcher of the inning, Ray Guerrini, hat Higgerson misplayed and then threw the ball away trying to get Urquhart at first, allowing Boykin and Bocock to score to make it 5-3.
Rockbridge tightened the game in the eighth on a two-out RBI single by Patrick Marshall, but Josh Thorne (freshman, Stetson) was able to close the door from there with an inning and a third of scoreless relief.
Corbin Lucas (sophomore, Shenandoah) hit his first homer of the season leading off the bottom of the second.
Waynesboro travels to Staunton on Thursday and returns home on Friday to face Covington. WKDW radio personality Kris Neal will serve as the play-by-play broadcaster for Friday’s game, with the pregame show on www.WaynesboroGenerals.net set to start at 6:50 p.m., and the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
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Chris Graham
