Box Score

Photo Credit: Charlottesville Tom Sox

BY NATALIE RETALEATO

The Charlottesville Tom Sox are the South Division champions for a second straight year after beating the Covington Lumberjacks 7-6 in a game full of home runs.

Zac Ching started the homer trend early in the first with a solo shot to put the Tom Sox on the board. Noah Bridges tied it up for the Lumberjacks with a solo homer of his own, making the score 1-1 entering the second.

The Tom Sox were able to break the tie in the third with their second solo home run of the game, from Alex Mardiney. But the Lumberjacks quickly tied it back up with a second solo home run of their own in the fourth from Bennett Hostetler.

Mardiney then hit his second home run of the night, bringing in himself and Nick Bellafronto. Ching hit a double to right field and was able to score off of Patrick McColl’s RBI single to center field, making the score 5-2 Charlottesville entering the bottom of the fifth

JC Santos kicked off the bottom of the fifth with another solo home run for the Lumberjacks, followed by Noah Bridges’ RBI double which sent Connor Hood home.

The Lumberjacks denied the Tom Sox any runs in the sixth with back-to-back Ks from Cody Burnham. The Tom Sox sent Evan Justice in to pitch in the bottom of the sixth where he struck out the side, which kept the score at 5-4 Charlottesville.

The Tom Sox and the Lumberjacks both struck twice in the seventh. Mardiney and McColl of the Tom Sox both scored off of wild pitches. Christopher Villa hit a RBI single for the Lumberjacks, followed by Bridges’ sacrifice fly to send Hood home.

The Lumberjacks were unable to come back in the ninth, ending the game with the final score of 7-6 Charlottesville. The Tom Sox take the title of South Division champs and will face the New Market Rebels in the VBL Championship.