Purcellville Canons

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Cannons defeat Royals 9-7

Cannons vs. Winchester

By: Lauren Fulton

Last night the Cannons faced the Winchester Royals at Fireman’s Field, right in the
heart of downtown Purcellville. The opening weekend festivities continued as the
Cannons celebrated the very first Friday night game of the season. The stadium was
filled with fans for both teams, as the Cannons faced their infamous rivals, the
Winchester Royals. The stadium was nearly entirely sold out with a whopping 1,369
tickets sold in just a matter of hours.

The starting pitcher for the Cannons was left-handed pitcher Aiden Adams, (SO; San
Jacinto College North). Adams performed well, only allowing 3 runs in a matter of 5 1/2
innings. He was relieved first by Zach Mizrahi, (JR; Daytona State College), who
allowed 4 more runs, which resulted in a momentum shift from the Winchester Royals.
However, it didn’t last long. The 3 relief pitchers, Alberto McCarthy, (SR; Erskine
College), Will Ricketts, (JR; Frostburg State University), and Mo Rodriguez, (JR; Rice
University), allowed no runs to score for the remainder of the game, which resulted in
an intense 9-7 rivalry victory from your Purcellville Cannons!

The defense for the night sparked new interest in the crowd, as some new faces took
the field to showcase their talents. Catching for the Cannons was Brennan Hudson,
(SO; Georgia State University). Hudson caught the whole game, and played excellent
defense, with only one wild pitch. Playing first base was MJ Rodriguez, (SO; Texas A U
Kingsville), playing second was Aiden McDonald, (FR; James Madison University),
playing shortstop was Michael McKinney, (FR; West Virginia University), and rounding
off the infield playing third base was Dan Swirsky, (SO; Oklahoma State University).
Finishing off the defense, Mikey Brinton, (JR; University of Arkansas Fort Smith) was in
left field, Caleb Stewart, (JR; Georgia State University) was in center, and Joseph
Eichelberger, (JR; Paul D. Camp College).

The Cannon’s offense faced adversity for the first time this season, but as per usual,
each player rose to the occasion and fought back until the end. They managed to put
up 8 runs in just the first 4 innings, with some notable players clutching up in the big
moments. Joseph Eichelberger was without a doubt the night’s “biggest hitter”. Not
only did Eichelberger have 3 hits out of his 4 at-bats, but he recorded back-to-back
home runs, the first of which was a grand slam! He ended the game recording 7 of the
9 runs scored, and finished with a .750 average. Because of his effort, the Cannons
were able to tack on a couple of insurance runs and take the win as a collective team
effort. Ryne Guida once again went 2 for 4 and finished the game with a .600 batting
average.

The next home game will take place at Fireman’s Field this Sunday, June 4th against
the Woodstock River Bandits at 7:00 pm. We hope to see you all there!