The Shadow
COVINGTON – For your first home run of the season, how about crushing a grand-slam.
On top of that, how about it being a walk-off grand-slam to win the game.
That’s exactly what Jackson Toberman did on Saturday, June 17th as he clobbered his first home run of the season via a walk-off grand-slam that lifted the Covington Lumberjacks (6-7) past the Winchester Royals 7-4 in 10 innings.
Prior to the heroics in the bottom of the 10th inning Winchester had taken a 4-2 lead in the top of the 10th inning after pushing across two runs. Those two runs were the team’s first runs scored since the third inning when the Royals had taken a 2-1 lead behind a two-run double from Chandler Ballenger.
Covington’s bullpen pitched five sensational innings despite giving up a pair of runs in extra innings. The Lumberjacks used four relievers who combined to toss five innings where they gave up two runs on four hits, while walking two, and striking out five.
In his third start of the season Brian Garmon II had his longest outing on the mound for Covington. In a no-decision, Garmon II allowed two runs on four hits in five innings where he walked one, and struck out one. In his fifth appearance of the season Jorge A. Garcia III was the winning pitcher.
Gregory Melo led the Lumberjacks with a three-hit day at the plate, along with a pair of RBI’s. Down 2-1 in the bottom of the eighth, Melo leading off the inning crushed a game-tying solo home run. uch like Toberman, it was Melo’s first home run of the season as well.
While Winchester out hit Covington 8-7, the Royals had three players in the lineup with two or more hits. Ballenger and Jancarlos Colon each had two hits, while Keaton Grady led the team with three hits and two runs scored.
Both teams left eight on base.
Winchester 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 – 4 8 1
Covington 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 – 7 7 0
W – Garcia III. L – Velasquez. 2B – WR: Colon. HR – CL: Melo, and Toberman. RBI – WR: Colon 2, and Ballenger 2. CL: Melo 2, and Toberman 4. SB – WR: Ballenger, Hogue, and Grady. CS – CL: Turner. LOB – WR: 8. CL: 8.
