The Shadow
After having a four-game win streak snapped with Saturday night’s 7-0 loss to Valley League leading Haymarket, the Covington Lumberjacks got back on track with a 5-3 win over the Luray Wranglers Sunday night at Casey Field.
Leadoff batter Richie Rodriquez (Eastern Kentucky) belted two solo home runs and finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored to lead the Lumberjacks 12-hit attack at the plate. Andrew Longley (South Florida) also added a solo home run, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Casey Selsor (University of Texas) picked up his second mound win of the season with seven strong innings of work. Selsor allowed three runs on eight hits, striking out six and not issuing a free pass.
After Luray took an early 1-0 lead after half an inning, Rodriquez belted a lead-off shot down the left field line to knot things up and two batters later Longley sent a bomb down the left field line to give Covington a 2-1 lead.
Luray designated-hitter Alex Haitsuka hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth to knot things up, but Rodriquez countered in the bottom of the fifth with another leadoff shot to give the Lumberjacks at 3-2 lead.
The Wranglers (5-7) once again knotted things up in the top of the sixth after Justin Fradejas singled, stole second and scored on Jonathan Griffin’s RBI single later in the inning.
The Lumberjacks took the lead for good with two runs in the home half of the seventh.
Rodriquez singled and stole second and Giuseppe Papaccio (Seton Hall) drew a walk to put two aboard with no outs. Longley and Mike Martinez (Flordia International) followed with consecutive run-scoring singles to put Covington on top 5-3.
Troy Barton (Eastern Illinois) and Benny Mejia (Seton Hall) pitched perfect innings in relief to preserve the win with Mejia earning his first save of the summer.
Fradejas and catcher Nick Rickles led Luray at the plate with 2-for-4 nights.
In Saturday night’s 7-0 loss to Haymarket, pitcher Matt Benedict limited the Lumberjacks to three hits over seven innings of work to run his mound record to 3-0 on the summer. Benedict struck out six and walked three.
Virginia Tech’s Jake Joyce was the tough-luck loser on the mound for the Lumberjacks, allowing an unearned run on three hits in five innings of work. Joyce fanned six batters.
Matt Reed (South Florida) pitched four innings in relief, allowing six runs (two earned) on six hits.
The Senators took a 1-0 lead in the third when Jimmy Dowdell singled and scored on an error.
Haymarket (10-4) took advantage of three sixth inning errors by the Lumberjacks to plate six runs and increase their lead to 7-0 as they cruised to their fifth straight win and won their sixth straight last night after topping New Market Sunday night, 12-1.
Papaccio, Noah Lynd (Bates College), Paschel Poston (Georgia Southwestern), Ryan Dineen (Eastern Illinois) and Isaac Wenrich (Fanklin Pierce) had one hit each for the Lumberjacks.
The Lumberjacks, winners of five of their last sixth, are at home tonight as they host the Front Royal Cardinals in a make-up game. The Lumberjacks will be on the road Tuesday at Front Royal.
