All Things Valley League

Playoff Update, 2 Days Left!

Whew. More important games were played last night, as you might expect. This is where we stand with two days left in the season:

North Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Front Royal	27	15	-
2	Winchester	23	20	4.5
3	Fauquier	21	22	6.5
4	Haymarket	21	22	6.5

Front Royal clinches #1, Winchester clinches #2.

Central Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Luray	25	17
2	Woodstock	24	20	2
3	New Market	21	20	3.5
4	Harrisonburg	20	23	5.5

Luray clinches #1. If New Market sweeps its last three games, there will be a tie for 2nd place. Harrisonburg's only shot is at the wild card.

South Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Staunton	26	15
2	Covington	21	23	6.5
3	Waynesboro	18	26	9.5
4	Rockbridge	9	33	17.5

Staunton clinches #1, Covington clinches #2 (even at 21-23).

Wild Card Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	New Market	21	20
2	Fauquier	21	22	1
3	Haymarket	21	22	1
4	Harrisonburg	20	23	2

The wild card is obviously hotly contested. Here are the remaining games for these four teams:

New Market: Harrisonburg, Front Royal, @ Luray
Fauquier: @Haymarket
Haymarket: Fauquier
Harrisonburg: @ New Market

The loser in Haymarket tonight, along with one New Market win, will be eliminated. One New Market also eliminates Harrisonburg, which would finish off the 8 teams in the playoffs, with the only question being seeds.

The Race for Seeds

As of right now:

1. Front Royal
2. Staunton
3. Luray
4. Woodstock
5. Winchester
6. New Market
7-8. Covington and either Fauquier or Haymarket

Tonight's Games

Fauquier vs Haymarket (Loser out along with New Market win)
Front Royal vs Winchester (Battle for seeds only- Winchester can tie Woodstock for #4 (Royals hold tiebreaker. Cards trying to hang onto #1 overall.)
Harrisonburg vs New Market (Turks eliminated with loss, New Market fighting to get in)
Luray vs Staunton (Fight for seeds only- Luray 1.5 games behind Staunton)

The Elephant in the Room

You know- the huge issue that no one wants to talk about. On July 29, Staunton was to play a double header in Rockbridge, but the games were rained out. They should be played tomorrow, but Rockbridge, allegedly, said they couldn't play the games due to their players going home. (Let me claim here that this is all from a source who shall remain nameless.) If the league awards forfeits to Staunton, that means the Braves have a shot at the #1 overall seed. If not, they can't win #1 overall with one more Front Royal win, even though they may have the same number of losses.

**ADDITION** This was just brought to my attention: In NCAA play, there is no such thing as a forfeit of contests not actually competed. To receive a forfeit in which you count a victory, the game actually has to start. The Rockbridge situation, whatever it might be, means that those games would go down as ‘no contests’ in the eyes of the NCAA.**

Of course, it may not come down to these games, so we'll wait to see after these next two days.

Day 51, July 30: Results and Players of the Day

Seven games last night, in what must have been an exhausting day for a few teams (Covington played in Waynesboro AND Staunton yesterday).

Results

Waynesboro 15, Covington 4
Waynesboro 4, Rockbridge 0
Front Royal 4, Fauquier 3
Haymarket 9, Winchester 3
Luray 7, Harrisonburg 6 (11 innings)
Woodstock 5, New Market (boxscore not available for this one)
Staunton 6, Covington 5

Hitter of the Day

Tony Caldwell, Waynesboro, from Auburn. Tony went 2-4 against Covington, with 3 runs, 4 RBI, a walk, triple, and home run. His home run was a rocket way over the left-center field fence in Waynesboro. He ended the year 304/379/478 in 161 at-bats.

Others of Note

Adam Browett, Covington: 3-5, 2 runs, 2 doubles
Steven Keener, Covington: 3-5, run, RBI
Mark Dvoroznak, Waynesboro: 2-4, 2 runs, 2 walks
Alex McClure, Waynesboro: 3-5, 2 runs, walk, stolen base
Sean Bukovich, Waynesboro: 2-3, RBI, walk
Tyler Biddix, Waynesboro: 1-3, run, RBI, 3 walks
Jesse Henry, Front Royal: 3-4, run, walk, 2 stolen bases
Chad Oberacker, Fauquier: 3-5, 3 doubles, stolen base
Michael Lang, Haymarket: 3-4, 3 runs, 3 RBI, home run, HBP
Dave Fallon, Winchester: 2-3, walk, HBP
Kevin Griffin, Winchester: 1-2, 3 walks
Shaun Cooper, Harrisonburg: 3-4, 3 runs, 3 RBI, double, home run, stolen base
DJ Hicks, Luray: 3-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, walk, double, home run
Daniel Bowman, Luray: 3-5, 2 runs
Corey Johnson, Luray: 2-5, 2 run, 2 RBI, 2 home runs
Kyle Blackburn, Staunton: 2-4, run, RBI, walk

Pitcher of the Day

Matt Shepherd, Waynesboro, from Tennessee Tech. Matt threw 7 shutout innings against Rockbridge, allowing 2 hits, 0 walks, and struck out 5. He retired 17 batters in a row in this game! Matt finished the year 1-3, 1.95, with an even 1.00 WHIP in 37 innings.

Others of Note

Dave Billotte, Fauquier: 3 2/3 shutout innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
Matt Suschak, Haymarket: 5 1/3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run (earned), 5 walks, 8 strikeouts, the win vs. Winchester
Brad Riddle, Harrisonburg: 3 shutout innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Mike Pierce, Covington: 4 shutout innings, 2 hits, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts

Playoff Update, 3 Days Left!

Some major changes last night!

North Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Front Royal	26	15	-
2	Winchester	23	19	3.5
3	Fauquier	21	21	5.5
4	Haymarket	20	22	6.5

Front Royal has clinched the #1 seed from the North. Winchester clinches #2 with a win or Fauquier loss.

Central Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Luray	24	17
2	Woodstock	23	20	2
3	New Market	21	19	2.5
4	Harrisonburg	20	22	4.5

Woodstock leapfrogged New Market last night! Luray almost clinches first with a win or Woodstock loss. But New Market still has 4 games left- Luray will need to win twice to clinch over the Rebels.

South Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Staunton	25	15
2	Covington	21	21	5
3	Waynesboro	16	26	10
4	Rockbridge	9	32	16.5

No games were played in this division last night! Will the league make Staunton play twice at Rockbridge?

Wild Card Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	New Market	21	19
2	Fauquier	21	21	1
3	Harrisonburg	20	22	2
4	Haymarket	20	22	2

New Market, as I mentioned already, still has 4 games. Fauquier, Harrisonburg, and Haymarket have 2 each. So if New Market wins once, they clinch a tie for a playoff spot. Win twice, and they will win a wild card spot (assuming they don't catch Woodstock for 2nd in the Central). The remaining three will battle it out for the final playoff spot.

Seeds, If the season ended today...

1. Front Royal
2. Staunton
3. Luray
4. Winchester
5. Woodstock
6. New Market
7. Covington (wins tiebreaker with better division record- the Jacks and Gators split season series)
8. Fauquier

Tonight's Games

Covington vs Waynesboro 2:30 PM     
Rockbridge vs Waynesboro 7:00 PM    
Front Royal vs Fauquier 7:30 PM    
Haymarket vs Winchester 7:30 PM    
Harrisonburg vs Luray 7:30 PM    
Woodstock vs New Market 7:30 PM    
Covington vs Staunton 7:30 PM

Day 50, July 29: Results and Players of the Day

Three games postponed, five games played:

Results

Staunton vs Rockbridge, DH postponed
Covington vs Waynesboro postponed
Harrisonburg 12, New Market 3
Winchester 6, Fauquier 5
Fauquier 6, Winchester 0
Haymarket 10, Front Royal 9
Woodstock 7, Luray 5

Hitter of the Day

James Roche, Front Royal, from Bentley. James went 2-3, with 2 runs, 4 RBI, a walk, double, home run, and sacrifice fly. He's now hitting 289/369/561 in 114 at-bats.

Others of Note

Seth Kivett, New Market: 3-4, RBI, sacrifice fly
Victor Croglio, Harrisonburg: 3-5, run, 3 RBI, 2 doubles, stolen base
Daniel Heatwole, Harrisonburg: 2-3, 3 runs, 2 walks
Michael Lang, Haymarket: 2-5, 2 runs, 3 RBI, double, home run
Chad Oberacker, Fauquier: 3-5, run, RBI
Stephen Hunt, Woodstock: 3-4, 2 runs, 3 RBI, home run
Eric Kroll, Woodstock: 2-3, 3 runs, walk

Pitcher of the Day

Jack VanLeur, Fauquier, from Creighton. Jack threw 7 shutout innings against Winchester, allowing 4 hits, 0 walks, and striking out 8. He's now 3-2, 4.70, with 3 saves in 38 1/3 innings.

Others of Note

Ali Simpson, Harrisonburg: 6 innings, 4 hits, 1 run (earned), 4 walks, 7 strikeouts, the win vs New Market
Brett Stackhouse, Winchester: 3 1/3 shutout innings, 0 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts, the win vs Fauquier
Steve Forster, Haymarket: 3 shutout innings, 1 hit, 0 walks, 5 strikeouts
Ross Speed, Front Royal: 6 innings, 4 hits, 1 run (earned), 0 walks, 11 strikeouts
Bryam Garcia, Winchester: 3 1/3 shutout innings, 0 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts

Playoff Update, 4 Days Left!

Eight games last night. The playoff picture is becoming more and more clear each day....

The preamble: The format: the first and second place teams in each division will make the playoffs, then the next two teams with the best records will make the playoffs as wild cards. The division winners will be seeded #1, 2, and 3, and 4-8 by record. Teams will be reseeded after each round of the playoffs. (The tie-breaker within divisions starts with head-to-head record, then inter-division record. However, tie-breakers will not be used for championships or eliminations from the playoffs. If two teams tie for first place in a division, or for the last playoff spot, a playoff game will be played.)

North Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Front Royal	26	14	-
2	Winchester	22	18	4
3	Fauquier	20	20	6
4	Haymarket	19	22	7.5

Front Royal has clinched a tie for first place, and has clinched a playoff spot. Winchester is closing in on clinching the #2 spot.

Central Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Luray	24	16
2	New Market	21	18	2.5
3	Woodstock	22	20	3
4	Harrisonburg	19	22	5.5

Luray's sweep of New Market last night was huge, as the Wranglers are now close to clinching first place. Woodstock and New Market are only a half game apart for that coveted #2 position. The Turks aren't out of it, either!

South Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Staunton	25	15
2	Covington	21	21	5
3	Waynesboro	16	26	10
4	Rockbridge	9	32	16.5

Staunton and Covington have clinched playoff spots as #1 and #2 in the South. Waynesboro and Rockbridge are eliminated. Staunton is one game behind Front Royal for the #1 overall seed.

Wild Card Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Woodstock	22	20
2	Fauquier	20	20	1
3	Harrisonburg	19	22	2.5
4	Haymarket	19	22	2.5

Woodstock and Fauquier control their own destiny. Harrisonburg and Haymarket need a few wins...

Tonight's Schedule

Staunton vs Rockbridge DH 4:00, 7:00 (Staunton playing for seed)
New Market vs Harrisonburg ('Burg 3 games behind Rebels)
Fauquier vs Winchester DH 5:00, 7:30 (Gators 2 games behind the Royals)
Covington vs Waynesboro (Jacks playing for seed)
Front Royal vs Haymarket (Cards clinging to #1 overall seed, Sens are fighting for a spot)
Luray vs Woodstock (Stock leading wild card, 3 games behind Luray)

Day 49, July 28: Results and Players of the Day

Eight games were played last night! We're down to four days left in the regular season...

Results

Front Royal 3, Winchester 2 (Simon, Evatt hit 2-out solo home runs to win the game)
Luray 11, New Market 8 (Completion of suspended game)
Luray 9, New Market 6
Staunton 15, Waynesboro 8
Woodstock 10, Harrisonburg 3
Covington 10, Rockbridge 4
Covington 7, Rockbridge 3
Fauquier 4, Haymarket 2

Hitter of the Day

Blake McDade, Staunton, from Middle Tennessee State. Blake hammered the Generals, going 4-6, with 2 runs, 3 RBI, a home run, and stolen base. He's now hitting 322/377/467 in 152 at-bats.

Others of Note

Adam Browett, Covington: 3-4, RBI
Rob Froio, Rockbridge: 3-3, run, walk
Anthony Melchionda, Rockbridge: 3-4, run
Evan Kehoe, Woodstock: 3-5, 2 runs
Tony Caldwell, Waynesboro: 3-5, run, 2 RBI, double
Kent Burford, Staunton: 3-6, 2 runs, 2 RBI
Kyle Blackburn, Staunton: 3-6, 2 runs, 3 RBI

Pitcher of the Day

Stephen Rivera, Winchester, from St. John's. This was a bittersweet game for Stephen. He threw 8 2/3 innings, allowing only 5 hits, 3 runs (all earned), 2 walks, and striking out 9. He was one out away from a 2-1 victory, but gave up back-to-back solo home runs by Jared Simon and Dan Evatt to lose the game. Still an impressive job on the mound, though! Stephen is now 3-1, 4.05, with 52 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings.

Others of Note

Andrew Moye, Luray: 6 innings, 2 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, the win vs New Market
William Hudgins, Woodstock: 6 innings, 7 hits, 1 run (earned), 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, the win vs Harrisonburg
Michael Patton, Fauquier: 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 run (earned), 2 walks, 4 strikeouts, the win vs Haymarket
Greg Van Sickler, Front Royal: 7 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs (earned), 1 walk, 6 strikeouts

Playoff Update, 5 Days Left!

All six games were played last night, while a couple had large playoff implications. Let's take a look at the standing, with my preamble first.

The format: the first and second place teams in each division will make the playoffs, then the next two teams with the best records will make the playoffs as wild cards. The division winners will be seeded #1, 2, and 3, and 5-8 by record. Teams will be reseeded after each round of the playoffs. (The tie-breaker within divisions starts with head-to-head record, then inter-division record. However, tie-breakers will not be used for championships or eliminations from the playoffs. If two teams tie for first place in a division, or for the last playoff spot, a playoff game will be played.)

North Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Front Royal	25	14	-
2	Winchester	22	17	3
3	Fauquier	19	20	6
4	Haymarket	19	21	6.5

Front Royal has clinched a playoff spot as one of the top two teams in the North. Winchester is close...

Central Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Luray	22	16
2	New Market	21	16	0.5
3	Woodstock	21	20	2.5
4	Harrisonburg	19	21	4

Luray took first from New Market last night! The Rebels have a ton of games in a very short amount of time!

South Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Staunton	24	15
2	Covington	19	21	5.5
3	Waynesboro	16	25	9
4	Rockbridge	9	30	15

Staunton has clinched a spot; Covington has to win one more game, or Waynesboro lose one, to clinch a playoff spot.

Wild Card Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Woodstock	21	20
2	Fauquier	19	20	1
3	Harrisonburg	19	21	1.5
4	Haymarket	19	21	1.5
5	Waynesboro	16	25	5

If Waynesboro loses, or if Fauquier, Harrisonburg, OR Haymarket win once, Waynesboro is eliminated. Woodstock and Fauquier control their own destiny- if they win, they will make it in. Harrisonburg and Haymarket will need to win and get some help.

Tonight's Schedule

Rockbridge vs Covington DH 5:00, 7:30   
Luray vs New Market DH 6:00 (completion of suspended game); 7:30
Harrisonburg vs Woodstock
Haymarket vs Fauquier
Winchester vs Front Royal
Waynesboro vs Staunton

Day 48, July 27: Results and Players of the Day

Six games played last night:

Results

Rockbridge 1, Waynesboro 0
Front Royal 7, Fauquier 4
Haymarket 2, Winchester 1
Luray 8, Harrisonburg 6
Woodstock 2, New Market 1
Staunton 8, Covington 1

Hitter of the Day

DJ Hicks, Luray, from Central Florida. DJ went 3-4, with a run, 5 RBI, walk, and home run in the Wrangler's come-from-behind win over Harrisonburg. He's now hitting 294/363/495 in 109 at-bats.

Others of Note

Doug Oney, Front Royal: 3-3, run, stolen base
Ryan Gauck, Fauquier: 2-2, run, 3 walks
Michael Lang, Haymarket: 2-3, 2 RBI, walk, sacrifice fly
Michael Demma, Haymarket: 2-2, 2 runs, 2 walks, 2 doubles
Jack Posey, Harrisonburg: 2-3, 2 runs, 2 walks
Drew Martinez, Luray: 1-1, 2 runs, 4 walks, 4 stolen bases
Michael Garza, Woodstock: 3-4, RBI
Kyle Blackburn, Staunton: 2-3, walk
Anthony Porter, Staunton: 3-4, run, RBI
JJ Muse, Covington: 2-3, run, walk

Pitcher of the Day

Out of several outstanding performances last night, our pitcher of the day goes to Charlie McCann, Rockbridge, from Virginia Tech. Charlie threw a complete game shutout against Waynesboro, allowing only 5 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 3. He's now 1-2, 6.00, with 26 strikeouts in 33 innings.

Others of Note

Mike Hernandez, Waynesboro: 8 innings, 5 hits, 1run (earned), 0 walks, 5 strikeouts, tough-luck loser vs. Rockbridge
Brandon Sinnery, Winchester: 6 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 1 run (earned), 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Grant Sasser, Haymarket: 7 innings, 5 hits, 1 run (earned), 0 walks, 10 strikeouts
Ian Marshall, Woodstock: 7 innings, 3 hits, 1 run (earned), 5 walks, 8 strikeouts
Corey Polizzano, Staunton: 8 innings, 6 hits, 1 run (earned), 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, the win vs Covington
Benedy Mejia, Covington: 8 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs (earned), 2 walks, 8 strikeouts, the loss vs Staunton

Playoff Update

In keeping with the theme for the last few days, here's a look at the playoff race. The season is scheduled to end on Saturday...

The format: the first and second place teams in each division will make the playoffs, then the next two teams with the best records will make the playoffs as wild cards. The division winners will be seeded #1, 2, and 3, and 5-8 by record. Teams will be reseeded after each round of the playoffs. (The tie-breaker within divisions starts with head-to-head record, then inter-division record. However, tie-breakers will not be used for championships or eliminations from the playoffs. If two teams tie for first place in a division, or for the last playoff spot, a playoff game will be played.)

North Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Front Royal	24	14	-
2	Winchester	22	16	2
3	Fauquier	19	19	5
4	Haymarket	18	21	6.5

Front Royal will clinch a tie for a playoff spot with one more win.

Central Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	New Market	21	15
2	Luray	21	16	0.5
3	Woodstock	20	20	3
4	Harrisonburg	19	20	3.5

Luray's sweep of Woodstock yesterday makes it much tougher for the Bandits. Luray, however, still has 7 games to play.

South Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Staunton	23	15
2	Covington	19	20	4.5
3	Waynesboro	16	24	8
4	Rockbridge	8	30	15

Staunton has just about clinched the South; Covington needs one more win and one Waynesboro loss to clinch a spot.

Wild Card Standings
		Wins	Losses	GB
1	Woodstock	20	20
2	Fauquier	19	19
3	Harrisonburg	19	20	0.5
4	Haymarket	18	21	1.5
5	Waynesboro	16	24	4
6	Rockbridge	8	30	11

Rockbridge eliminated. One win for Fauquier and Harrisonburg plus one loss for Waynesboro eliminates the Generals.

Tonight's Games

Waynesboro vs Rockbridge: Waynesboro must run the table to have a chance
Front Royal vs Fauquier: Cards close to clinching
Winchester vs Haymarket: Haymarket needs a win to keep pace in wild card
Harrisonburg vs Luray: crucial for both teams
New Market vs Woodstock: 'Stock still leading wild card
Staunton vs Covington: One win for 'Jacks will clinch tie for playoff spot

Day 47, July 26: Results and Players of the Day

We're now heading down the home stretch...

Results

Luray 5, Woodstock 4
Luray 6, Woodstock 1
New Market 10, Harrisonburg 9
Covington 4, Waynesboro 2
Front Royal 11, Haymarket 3
Staunton 9, Rockbridge 4
Fauquier vs Winchester postponed

Player of the Day

Dan Evatt, Front Royal, from Baylor. Dan went 2-3, with a run, 4 RBI, 2 walks, a double, and home run against Haymarket. He's now hitting 207/333/457 in 92 at-bats this season.

Others of Note

Gerardo Ceceres, Woodstock: 2-4, 2 runs, RBI, walk, home run, stolen base
Eric Kroll, Woodstock: 2-4, run, RBI, walk, double, home run
Stephen Hunt, Woodstock: 2-3, run, RBI, walk, double, home run
Daniel Bowman, Luray: 3-5, stolen base
Zak Messer, New Market: 3-6, 2 runs, 2 RBI
Richard Gonzalez, New Market: 2-4, RBI, walk
JJ Muse, Covington: 2-4, run, 2 RBI, walk
Ryan Mathews, Waynesboro: 2-3, walk
Jesse Henry, Front Royal: 2-4, 2 runs, RBI, walk
Spencer Payne, Rockbridge: 2-3, 2 runs, RBI, walk, double, home run
Blake McDade, Staunton: 3-5, run, double

Pitcher of the Day

Drew Rucinski, Luray, from Ohio State. Drew went 6 innings against Woodstock, allowing 4 hits, 1 run (earned), 1 walk, and striking out 7. He's now 2-1, 3.15, with 38 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings.

Others of Note

Eric Alessio, New Market: 5 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), 1 walk, 2 strikeouts, the win vs. Harrisonburg
Cassidy McDaniel, Covington: 8 innings, 9 hits, 2 runs (earned), 0 walks, 7 strikeouts, the win vs. Waynesboro
Chris Enourato, Waynesboro: 3 shutout, no-hit innings, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts