Purcellville Cannons vs. Staunton Braves – 7/8/2023 – By: Lauren Fulton
The Purcellville Cannons returned back to Fireman’s Field last night to take on the Staunton Braves, after being on the road for what felt like weeks! Although it was a hot day, we were pleased to see so many of our wonderful fans come out to support the boys as they faced the Braves for the third time this season. There’s no better feeling than finally returning home after a long stretch away, and we are happy to report that there will be plenty of home games coming up in the schedule for the rest of the summer season. There must’ve been something special in the air last night because the Cannons not only beat the Braves but ended up walking it off in the bottom of the 8th inning in a 10-0 win.
Our starting pitcher for the evening was Jacob Smith, (SO; University of Pacific), who pitched for 5 complete innings, allowing just 3 hits and 2 walks, with no earned runs scored during his time on the mound. This is the longest Smith has pitched all season, and he kept a stable command of the strike zone throughout the evening, leading the team on a steady road toward victory. Our first pitcher in relief was RJ Watanabe, (JR; Coffeyville Community College), who threw for 2 innings, giving up 2 hits, no walks, and no earned runs. He also had 2 strikeouts on the evening, which allowed his defense to work solidly behind his performance. Our final pitcher for the evening was Zach Mizrahi, (SO; Tallahassee Community College), who closed with 1 hit, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts to finish off the Braves. All in all, the pitching staff has been working together and making the necessary adjustments to help fuel the Cannon’s offense, proving once again that it’s never too late to make the proper adjustments necessary to succeed on the field.
Our defense for the evening allowed no errors, with new players working into the usual rotation and working seamlessly with the rest of the team! Catching for the Cannons was Brendan Roney, (JR; Florida International University), playing first base was Bear Horowicz, (SO; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill), playing second base was Brayden Caskey, (JR; Arkansas State University), playing shortstop was Caleb Stewart, (JR; Georgia State University), and at third base was Keegan Knuston, (SO; San Jacinto College North). Our outfielders for the night started with Chayce Bryant, (SR; Southeastern University) in left field, Mikey Brinton, (JR; University of Arkansas Fort Smith) in centerfield, and Jackson Micheels, (JR; University of Purdue Fort Wayne) in right field.
The offense for the night put up incredible numbers, with everyone contributing up and down the lineup. One player to note for his performance at the plate this evening was Jackson Micheels, who hit his first home run as a Cannon during his first at-bat of the night. Micheels ended up going 2 for 4 on the evening with 2 RBIs and a walk to make him one of the most dominant players at the plate for the evening. Another player to note offensively was none other than Ryne Guida, (SR; Florida International University), who went 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs to help advance the Cannon’s lead. Guida was just recently moved up from the fourth spot in the lineup to the second, in an effort for him to potentially drive in more runs – needless to say, it’s been working quite well for the Cannon’s offense. Another player to note was Brendan Roney, who had 3 RBIs on the evening, and who drew the “winning walk” to walk off the game against the Staunton Braves. Caleb Stewart also celebrated his first triple on the season last night in the first inning, demonstrating his acute base running acumen as well as his speed. Last night’s game was a true team effort, and it was so nice to see the boys work together and for one another on the field.
The Cannons game set against the Covington Lumberjacks has been postponed until Thursday, July 13th as the boys travel to Covington to play another 7-inning double-header. The Cannons are one game away from beginning a winning streak, so we hope to see y’all back at Fireman’s Field tomorrow evening against the Strasburg Express at 7:00 pm sharp!