COVINGTON- Not even the intensity of the heat could prevent Alleghany’s baseball faithful from coming out to celebrate the legacy of A local legend and ardent Lumberjack Supporter. The bleachers were loud, the food tasted great, and the Hawaiian shaved ice gave much-needed relief.
As memories were shared amongst the many friends of the former owner, Tommy Garten, to top off the pre-game festivities, Tommy’s grandchildren were on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to begin the Valley League battle between the Lumberjacks and the Cavaliers.
The Cavs started off strong getting in two runs in the first inning that would go unanswered until the third when Kaleb Henry’s base hit brought in one run and left the bases loaded.
Then, while still in the same inning with two outs, the Cavs walked Jorge Santana to bring in another run to make the score all tied up at 2-2. The crowds hopes that the Lumberjacks would turn their great play from the third into a win were dashed in the fifth when Jackson Rusiecki’s homerun for the Cavs put them up by one.
The game was mostly in Culpeper’s control after that.
Both teams would add one more run in the late stages of the game as The Cavaliers took home the win with a final score of 6-3. The night’s fun only concluded after everyone in attendance watched a very special fireworks show. In true Tommy Garten fashion, no expense was spared to assure that everyone enjoyed a special evening.