The Shadow
COVINGTON, Va. (VR) – The Covington Lumberjacks dropped their fourth straight game on Monday night, falling 11–3 to the visiting Purcellville Cannons. A game that started with promise quickly devolved into another frustrating performance, as defensive miscues and command issues on the mound overshadowed a quiet night at the plate.
The Jacks committed five errors, issued nine walks, and managed just two hits, leaving players and coaches searching for answers as their early season skid deepens.
The atmosphere at Casey Field was hopeful in the early innings, but everything unraveled in the top of the third. Starter Yannis Rembert, making his debut for Covington, struggled with control from the start and walked four batters in the frame. Two runs scored on wild pitches, and defensive mistakes compounded the chaos. An error by Dariel Castillo—his fourth of the year—was followed by a passed ball from Edwin Melendez, helping the Cannons plate five runs on just one hit.
By the end of the inning, Purcellville held a 6–0 lead, and Rembert had thrown 74 pitches in just 2.2 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) with seven walks, two wild pitches, and one hit.
Micah Calvert was a bright spot for Covington. The right-hander came on in relief and worked 3.1 scoreless innings, striking out four and walking none. His command and poise on the mound temporarily steadied the game and gave the Jacks a chance to claw back.
The offense showed flickers of hope in the middle innings. In the fourth, Tyler Tamargo singled in Castillo to get Covington on the board. Tamargo finished 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. In the sixth, Jason Bello doubled and later scored on a wild pitch. Covington added one more run in the seventh when Melendez scored on a passed ball.
But that would be it. The Jacks struck out 15 times, left six runners stranded, and never managed more than one hit in an inning. Murray, Alfonso, and Melendez each struck out three times.
Still within reach at 6–3 heading into the eighth, Covington turned to Danik Reed to keep the game close. Instead, the right-hander was shelled, giving up five runs on five hits, including back-to-back home runs from Manny Ramirez Jr. and Thomas Marsala. Reed’s ERA ballooned to 17.05 in what has become a nightmare start to his season.
Purcellville, despite logging just eight hits, capitalized on every mistake and free base to put the game out of reach.
Monday’s loss marked Covington’s fourth consecutive defeat, a stretch in which they’ve allowed 42 runs, committed 15 errors, and issued 26 walks. Their record 6-10 puts them in a must-respond moment as the season marks the halfway point.
Castillo reached base three times via walk and stole three bases, though he was also caught twice. Bello’s double in the sixth was the team’s only extra-base hit. Alfonso went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and an error, continuing his early season struggles, while Melendez, in addition to his defensive miscues, was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
