Bandits keep rolling, top Turks

By Robert Edmonds -- sports@nvdaily.com

WOODSTOCK -- The River Bandits continued their most recent win streak against the visiting Harrisonburg Turks on Tuesday, scoring five runs in the seventh inning to blow the game open in a 6-1 victory.

Heath Hatfield took the mound for Woodstock hoping to have similar results to complete game last week.

He came through again.

"Heath was phenomenal tonight," Woodstock coach Donn Foltz said. "He pitched seven very strong innings for us and we came through at the end when we needed to after missing a few opportunities early on."

"I try to come out prepared and focused each game I play," Hatfield said. "I just take one game at a time and I give a lot of props to my pitching coach, Taylor Dufrene. I try hard to step up for the team and the bats helped us out a lot tonight. Those five runs in the seventh were a huge relief for me."

Hatfield, a freshman from the University of Memphis, squared off against Clint Dempster. Both pitchers worked through the opposing lineups rather seamlessly until the seventh inning when the Woodstock offense came alive.

Shawn Ablett started the inning by reaching base on a passed ball that negated a strikeout by Dempster. Teammate Cory Tilton then laid down a bunt on the first base line and beat out a throw by catcher Parker Brunelle.

Derek Vigoa then loaded the bases when he matched Tilton's efforts by beating out a throw from the third baseman on a bunt attempt of his own. The series of costly defensive plays appeared to rattle Dempster as he showed signs of losing his composure.

Still, Turks manager Bob Wease stuck with Dempster hoping that he could work out of the jam as he had done earlier in the game. Woodstock took the lead on the next play when Jonathan Koscso hit a sacrifice fly to left field to give his team its first lead of the night.

Woodstock continued to get to the Turks starter when Stephen Hunt hit a single to right to score another run. Two batters later, Eric Kroll delivered a three-run homer to right-center that set the final score.

"He threw a good pitch to me inside," Kroll said. "I just tried to see the pitch and I was able to get a good swing on it. We were able to get a good rally going and the offense was effective when we needed. Hatfield works hard and he threw a great game. It was nice for us to be able to give him that support."

"This was just not a good game at all for us," Wease said. "I don't understand. We never play good down here. I give them praise for their performance. They have given us both of our divisional losses this year. We just don't get up and are not ready to play when we face them and we can't do that."

The River Bandits have hit home runs in their last three outings and haven't mad an error over that same span, resulting in positive performances that the teams hopes to carry through the season.

"The momentum is huge for us," Kroll said. "Every game from here on out is very important and we want to get as much momentum as we can heading into the All-Star break and carry that beyond. We have had some close losses but we have played hard every night. It seems like things are coming together and starting to pay off."