The Shadow
WINCHESTER, Va. (VR) – The Covington Lumberjacks shook off six innings of offensive frustration and erupted late to beat the Winchester Royals 6–3 on the road Sunday night. Powered by a go-ahead single from Dariel Castillo, a three-run homer from Victor Sanchez, and clutch bullpen work, the Jacks secured a hard-fought victory that showcased both patience and power.
Held to just two hits through six innings by Royals starter Owen Powell — who struck out seven and walked none — the Lumberjacks finally broke through in the seventh. After Andres Gonzalez drew a walk and Edwin Melendez reached on an error, Castillo stepped to the plate and delivered a two-run single to center, giving Covington a 2–1 lead. Castillo, who entered hitting just .077, bumped his average to .111 with the timely knock and doubled his season RBI total to four.
Two batters later, Martin Howell extended the inning with a sharp single — part of a 2-for-4 night that lifted his average to .333. Although the inning ended with Covington stranding two, momentum had shifted.
That momentum turned into a full-on surge in the eighth inning. Jose Alfonso worked a walk, and Melendez followed with a single to bring Sanchez to the plate. After a quiet night to that point, Sanchez (1-for-4, BB) unloaded on a 2–1 pitch, sending a towering three-run shot over the left field wall — his first homer of the season and the swing that broke the game open. Sanchez, now hitting .250, finished with three RBIs on the night, bringing his season total to three.
Melendez later added a sacrifice fly in the ninth to make it 6–1, giving him 8 RBIs on the year and another efficient night at the plate. He also stole his second base of the season.
In total, the Lumberjacks’ offense tallied 6 runs on 7 hits, drew 4 walks, and left 6 runners on base. While they struck out 14 times — including four by Freddy Oquendo and two each from Tyler Tamargo and Howell — they went 3-for-7 with runners in scoring position and made key contact when it mattered.
On the mound, Covington starter Yannis Rembert threw four scoreless innings, working around four hits and three walks while striking out five. He kept Winchester off the board despite some early pressure. Hector Escobar followed with 2.1 innings of one-run ball, striking out three and keeping Covington in position to rally.
With the game tied 1–1 and runners threatening in the seventh, Clayton Stewart entered and showed why he’s been the Jacks’ most dependable arm. Stewart retired five of the seven batters he faced, allowed just one hit, and earned his fourth win of the season to improve to 4–0. His ERA now sits at 3.09.
Jeffred Fermin came on to close in the ninth. Though he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks — raising his ERA to 6.14 — he managed to lock things down, striking out one and stranding two to record the save.
While Winchester had its chances — collecting 8 hits and drawing 10 walks — the Royals stranded a staggering 15 runners on base and went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Despite base hits from Todd Abraham (2-for-3, 2 BB), Easton Albert, AJ Labrusciano, and Parker Frey, the Royals couldn’t capitalize when it mattered. They did swipe three bases, but were also caught stealing once.
For Covington, the final line read: 6 runs, 7 hits, 0 errors. The Royals countered with 3 runs, 8 hits, and 1 error.
Defensively, Covington was clean — no errors and a strong presence behind the plate from Howell, who threw out one baserunner and helped navigate through 10 walks issued by the staff. Winchester’s lone error came during Covington’s rally in the seventh, allowing a key run to score.
