The Shadow
COVINGTON, Va. (VR) – In what was meant to be a night of closure and pride at Casey Field, the Covington Lumberjacks wrapped up their 2025 home campaign with an 8–2 loss to the Staunton Braves — a game that started with promise but quickly spiraled out of reach. Covington turned to right-hander Jack Brooks for the start, but the Braves didn’t give the rookie much breathing room. Brooks lasted just 1.1 innings, giving up four runs on five hits as Staunton struck early and efficiently. His outing concluded with a bloated ERA of 27.01, and Covington quickly turned to the bullpen to contain the damage. Staunton’s offense set the tone in the top of the first, when Lincoln Pack drilled a double into left to score the game’s first run. Moments later, LT Cockrill added to the onslaught with a two-run single, pushing the Braves to a 3–0 lead before the Jacks even recorded their fourth out. A sacrifice fly made it 4–0 heading into the bottom of the second.
Despite the rocky start, Covington didn’t fold. In the bottom of the third, Dariel Castellano sparked a brief rally with a sharply hit double. After Andres Gonzalez and Victor Sanchez were both hit by pitches to load the bases, Méndez delivered an RBI single to left to score Castellano. Sanchez then followed with a bloop double to right-center, cutting the deficit to 4–2. Sanchez finished the night 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, one of the few bright spots in a quiet Covington lineup that scattered just five hits total. The Jacks’ rally, however, would prove short-lived. Staunton answered immediately in the fourth when Branton Little connected on a two-run home run off reliever Hector Escobar, stretching the lead back to four. Escobar provided 4.2 innings of middle relief, allowing five hits and three runs — two of them earned — while striking out two. But Covington couldn’t keep Staunton off the bases for long, as hit-by-pitches and fielding miscues added to the home team’s frustration.
In the sixth, a misplayed grounder led to another Braves run, and in the eighth, Ty Galusky — who went a perfect 3-for-3 on the night — singled to drive in what would be Staunton’s eighth and final run. Meanwhile, the Braves’ pitching staff clamped down. Starter Jack Vest gave up two runs over four innings, but the win went to reliever Ismael Borrero, who tossed four scoreless innings, scattering three hits while striking out six. Logan Grass took over in the ninth and closed the door with a 1-2-3 frame. For Covington, Méndez finished 1-for-5 with an RBI, Castellano was 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored, and Dariel Castillo added a single in the seventh but was stranded. The Lumberjacks left eight runners on base, unable to cash in during crucial moments, particularly in the fifth and sixth innings when they had runners in scoring position.
On the pitching side, Nicholas Lowery and Sebastian Griffeth handled the final three innings for Covington. Lowery allowed one run in the sixth, while Griffeth pitched two scoreless innings to finish the game. The 8–2 loss dropped Covington further in the standings, but more than that, it symbolized the story of their season — flashes of potential, solid individual efforts, but trouble stringing together complete performances. With the home schedule now in the rearview mirror, the Lumberjacks hit the road for the final stretch, hoping to end the season with a spark. For now, though, the curtain falls on Casey Field, where a loyal crowd stood by their team through the ups and downs of summer ball. And though the scoreboard may not have shown it, the effort, the grit, and the heart were all still there.
