Waynesboro wins series, gets Covington next

By Cody Clifton Correspondent
Published: July 31, 2008

Waynesboro dropped four runs in two separate innings in route to an 11-5 victory over visiting Haymarket to advance to the semifinals of the Valley League playoffs.
The Generals sent Jake Cowan to the mound in the deciding game of the quarterfinal match up.
Cowan allowed one hit over the first four innings, baiting a short staffed Senator team with a nasty curveball, striking out seven over that span.
Waynesboro picked up a run in the third inning with their patience.
Gabriel Saade was hit in the back with a pitch, Brandon Sizemore walked and a single up the middle by Austin Morgan scored Saade.
That inning was just a prelude to the fireworks to come in the fourth.
After a walk to Ryan Adams, three straight doubles by Chris Enourato, Derek Hamblen and Mark Dvoroznak plated three runs. Saade’s single ended the action temporarily with another RBI.
“It’s a situation where it’s playoff time and you’re going at it every night,” Waynesboro coach Lawrence Nesselrodt said. “You’ve got to play nine innings of great baseball to win a ball game.”
Cowan gave the home fans a quality start, working seven innings of scoreless work, striking out 12 while allowing three hits.
The Generals dropped a second four spot in the sixth inning when the first four hitters reached on hits.
Haymarket pitcher Chase Hall overthrew first baseman Dan White on Gabriel Saade’s single after one run had scored. Dvoroznak scored from first base on the error.
Sizemore’s monster home run drove in Saade, giving the Generals the 9-0 lead.
The Senators rallied in the eighth inning after Cowan was lifted.
Haymarket attacked three Generals pitchers in the eighth inning for six hits, all singles, scoring five runs in the process to nip away at the lead.
“Give Haymarket credit,” Nesselrodt stated. “I thought they played their tails off and played good baseball the whole series.”
General Brad Grove entered in the eighth inning to stop the bleeding, pitching a scoreless ninth inning as well.
The Generals host the first game of the semifinals tonight against Covington who defeated Fauquier in two games.