The Covington Lumberjacks (18-21) are headed to the Valley Baseball League (VBL) playoffs.
After a back and forth game last night against the Staunton Braves at Gypsy Hill Park in Staunton, the Lumberjacks not only clinched a VBL playoff spot, they also eliminated the Braves from contention following a 9-7 victory.
With their victory, the Lumberjacks have secured the final and fourth spot in the South Division. It is the best the Lumberjacks can reach in the South. With only three regular season games left for the Lumberjacks, the team trails the Harrisonburg Turks, Waynesboro Generals, and the Charlottesville TomSox, whom are all tied for first place with a record of 24-14. The trio own a 5.5 game lead on the Lumberjacks.
Regardless of how the final three games play out, the Lumberjacks are headed back to the VBL postseason.
It has been an up and down and back up season with one might calling it a rollercoaster of a year for the Lumberjacks.
The team started off the VBL season by winning their first three games before losing six in a row.
During a stretch period, the Lumberjacks had lost 10 out of 12 games before the team got hot and won six of seven to get into an even .500 baseball.
At the All-Star break, the Lumberjacks were 15-20.
Since the All-Star break, the Lumberjacks have won three out of four games.
—————
On Thursday, the Lumberjacks and Braves went back and forth with one another.
There was a total of five lead changes and two ties.
The Lumberjacks were given some help from the Braves as the Lumberjacks were able to put three runs on the scoreboard in the inning thanks enlarge part to two errors in the inning by the Braves that led to two runs scored. The Lumberjacks also scored on a balk by the Braves pitcher. The team took a 9-6 lead.
Trailing by three runs, the Braves who had been down two runs early on in the first inning were able to tie the game. However, the three runs later into the ball game were too much to overcome. The Braves did manage to score a run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a Tyler Cotten (0-for-3) sacrifice fly out, which cut the teams deficit to two runs.
The Braves did get an opportunity in the bottom of the ninth inning to either tie and or win the game.
With one out, the Braves loaded the bases up.
Landon Lucas (S,1) picked up her first save of the game as he closed out the game by getting Grant Painter to ground out into an unassisted 5-3 double-play.
The Lumberjacks once again out-hit their opponent as the team out-hit the Braves 10-9.
Leading the way for the Lumberjacks was Cole Ketzner (3-for-4) who had a team-high three hits to go along with two RBI’s. Carlos Pineyro (2-for-2) added a two-hit, two RBI performance as well as three runs scored. Mason Hammonds (2-for-5) also collected two hits for the Lumberjacks.
Braves’ Joe Delossantos (1-for-4) took over as league leader in RBI’s with 30 following a two RBI game against the Lumberjacks.
Tonight the Lumberjacks travel to Waynesboro to face the Generals at 7:00 p.m. This will be the Lumberjacks final road game of the regular season. The teams final two games are home on Saturday and Sunday at Casey Field.
July 22, 2022
Lumberjacks at Braves
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
CL 2 2 0 0 20 3 0 0 9 10 0
SB 2 0 1 3 00 1 0 0 7 9 3
Lumberjacks Batting
Batter AB H RBI R W SO
Pineyro 2 2 3 3 3 0
Hammonds 5 2 0 2 0 0
Ketzner 4 3 2 2 1 1
Stocum 5 0 0 0 0 0
Castillo 5 1 0 0 0 0
Baird 4 1 0 1 1 1
Mccladdie 3 0 0 0 0 1
Ward 1 0 0 0 0 0
Lucas 4 0 0 0 0 4
Pavelchak 4 1 0 1 0 0
TOTAL 37 10 4 9 5 7
Braves Batting
Batter AB H RBI R W SO
Rodriguez 2 0 0 3 3 0
Delossantos 4 1 2 1 1 1
Pereira 3 2 1 0 2 0
Bennett 4 3 2 1 0 0
Diaz 5 0 1 0 0 0
Cotten 3 0 1 0 1 1
Painter 5 0 0 0 0 0
Peyton 4 2 0 1 0 0
Robertson 3 1 0 1 1 1
TOTAL 21 1 0 0 0 5
Lumberjacks Pitching
Pitcher IP H R ER BB S0
Carver 2.1 2 3 3 3 2
Burkholder 1 2 3 3 3 0
Webb (W) 3.2 3 1 1 0 0
Lucas (S) 2 2 0 0 2 1
TOTAL 9 9 7 7 8 3
Braves Pitching
Pitcher IP H R ER BB SO
Helleums 4 7 6 4 3 2
Dressler (L) 3 2 3 1 1 3
Neal 2 1 0 0 1 2
TOTAL 9 10 9 5 5 7
