All five games were played last night, and for the most part, pitchers reasserted themselves…

Results

  • Front Royal 4, Strasburg 3 (Huge comeback for the Cards in the 9th)
  • Purcellville 5, Woodstock 4
  • Harrisonburg 9, Charlottesville 2
  • Winchester 7, New Market 3
  • Covington 14, Staunton 5 (Jacks back in first. But, while the Sox and Jacks battle it out for 1st, the rest of the division is creeping closer. Top to bottom in the South is only 3.5 games apart. Best playoff chase ever coming?)

Hitter of the Day

Bennett Hostetler NDakota St 2018Our best choices definitely come from Covington- you’re shocked, I’m sure- but the best hitter from last night is the Lumberjack’s Bennett Hostetler, from North Dakota State. Hostetler, who would also be in the running for the player who travelled the farthest to get to the Valley, went 3-4, with 2 runs, 5 RBIs, a walk, and a home run. He’s now slashing 338/420/481 in 77 at-bats this summer, and hit 225/351/314 in 191 at-bats in college this spring. (He’s from Bozeman, Montana, which means that he’s not the farthest even on his own team, as four- four!- of his teammmates come from California.)

Others of Note

  • Hogan Brown, Strasburg: 2-3, 2 RBIs, BB, 2B, HBP, SB
  • Brandon Krennrich, Front Royal: 2-3, BB
  • Zach Little, Harrisonburg: 3-4, run, RBI, HBP, 2 SB
  • Brett Whelton, Harrisonburg: 2-3, 2 runs, RBI, BB
  • Masen Prososki, Winchester: 0-2, run, 3 BB
  • Lucas Oxendine, Winchester: 1-2, run, RBI, 2 BB, 2B
  • Peter Battaglia, Covington: 2-3, run, 4 RBIs, BB, 2B, HR
  • Max Law, Covington: 4-6, 2 runs
  • Christian Del Castillo, Covington: 1-3, 4 runs, 3 RBIs, HR, SF
  • Christopher Villa, Covington: 2-3, run, BB

Pitcher of the Day

Our POD is Purcellville’s Justin Ager, from Yale. Justin went 5 2/3 innings while allowing Justin Ager Yale 20184 hits, 1 earned run, 0 walks, and 6 strikeouts. He didn’t get a decision, but his game score was 63, the highest of the night. Justin is now 1-0, 1.44 this summer, with 12 K’s in 18 2/3 innings pitched. He only threw 4 innings for Yale in the spring.

Others of Note

  • Chance Hroch, Strasburg: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K’s (61)
  • Devin Dunn, Strasburg: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K’s
  • Bryan Whitacre, Winchester: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K’s
  • Evan McAndrew, Covington: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K’s, win

Tonight’s Game

Well, folks, it’s the All-Star game, held in Harrisonburg. The day begins with batting practice and autograph sessions at 3:10 PM, followed by the 60-yard dash, home run derby, and the announcement of this year’s Hall of Fame class. Player introductions will be at 7:15, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:30.

Look, the day is going to be perfect for these festivities- the weather looks great, so you need to come out!

And, of course, I’ll be there, too. I’ll be wearing a bright red Phillies shirt and VBL hat- probably carrying a camera as well. Feel free to come and introduce yourself!