The Shadow
CULPEPER, Va. (VR) – Thursday night, the Covington Lumberjacks strung together timely hitting and lights-out relief pitching to topple the Cavaliers 4–1. The win pushes the Lumberjacks closer to the .500 mark, and perhaps more importantly, showed flashes of a team beginning to find its rhythm.
The Cavaliers struck first, scratching across a run in the top of the first inning. After Keeton Burroughs and Ethan Belk were both hit by pitches from Covington starter Kejuan Burnett, Clayton Stewart delivered a sacrifice fly to right field to give the visitors an early 1–0 lead. But that was all the offense they’d manage, as the Covington pitching staff slammed the door over the next eight innings.
Covington answered back in the third. After Jendy Gonzalez reached on a single and advanced on a fielder’s choice, catcher Chris Fox lined an RBI single into left to tie the game at 1–1. Fox finished the night 2-for-4 and reached base three times, drawing Covington’s only walk of the game in the seventh.
But the biggest blow came in the bottom of the sixth. With one out and a runner aboard, Adin Zorn stepped to the plate and launched a deep shot over the left field fence for a two-run home run — his second of the season. It was a no-doubter from the moment it left the bat and gave the Jacks a 3–1 lead they would never relinquish.
Zorn finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, bringing his season average to a scorching .444. He now leads the team in home runs and RBIs.
Covington tacked on an insurance run in the ninth. After a leadoff hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice bunt by Stead, Fox singled again and moved to third on a wild pitch. Stead then drove him in with a sharp single up the middle to extend the lead to 4–1.
Despite tallying 10 hits, the Jacks stranded six runners, which could have made this win even more convincing. Still, the offense did enough to back up a terrific night on the mound.
Burnett went four innings, allowing just two hits and one earned run in a gritty outing. He hit two batters in the first but settled in nicely, allowing the defense behind him to make plays. R. Bailey took over in the fifth, escaping a mini-jam before handing the ball to C. Stewart, who was flat-out dominant.
Stewart (2–0) tossed the final 3.2 innings, retiring 11 of the 12 batters he faced, including five via strikeout. The Cavaliers never mounted a threat once he took the mound.
For the Cavaliers, Keeton Burroughs had a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, but their offense couldn’t figure out the Covington bullpen. They finished with just four hits and were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
On the mound, starter Paul Witkop looked sharp early, but Covington started squaring him up the second and third time through the order. He allowed seven hits and three runs (two earned) in six innings and took the loss (0–1).
The Cavaliers also struggled defensively, committing two errors — one by third baseman Luke Smith and another by first baseman Cameron Turner — that extended innings and created scoring chances for Covington. The Lumberjacks weren’t perfect either, with third baseman J. Bello committing his third error of the season, but it didn’t end up costing them.
