Red-hot Royals making late push

By Ben Brooks -- sports@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- The Winchester Royals' Valley Baseball League season has been one full of streaks -- four wins here, four losses there.

On Tuesday night, the Royals ran their season-high winning streak to six games with a 10-5 victory over Staunton at Bridgeforth Field. In the process, Winchester climbed over the .500 mark for the first time since the season's opener and moved into sole possession of second place in the North Division, 1 1/2 games behind Front Royal.

In a matchup of the league's two best hitting teams, the Royals (16-15) got the best of things early by scoring nine runs over the first four innings. Starting pitcher Stephen Rivera and the bullpen took care of the rest against the South Division-leading Braves.

VBL leading hitter Steven Sabins drove in three runs, second baseman Gabriel Ortiz had three hits and two RBIs, and recently entrenched leadoff man Aaron Dudley reached base four times and scored twice to lead the Royals' 15-hit attack.

All nine Winchester starters had at least one hit.

Rivera (2-0) scattered six hits and allowed four runs over 5 2/3 innings. Matt Gerbe pitched a scoreless 2 1/3 before giving way to Nate Bayuk in the ninth.

"We've definitely pitched better and played better defense," Royals manager John Lowery Jr. said of his team's performance over the last week. "We've gotten quality starts and our relief has been good. All the guys have gotten better over the summer, and that's what you hope happens."

The Royals, who improved to 5-3 in games where they score in double digits, broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning against Braves starting pitcher Josh McQuade and reliever T.J. Hinson. Sabins' two-run double to the right-centerfield fence keyed the six-hit inning. Timmy Cross and Gabriel Ortiz added run-scoring doubles and Kevin Garcia chipped in with an RBI single as the Royals stretched what had been a tenuous 3-2 lead into a 9-2 advantage.

Staunton's Blake McDade added to his VBL-leading RBI total (39) with a two-run single in the fifth, and pinch-hitter Anthony Mesa homered in the ninth, but the Braves (17-12) could never recover from their early deficit.

"Our guy couldn't get ahead of batters and didn't have a second pitch tonight," Staunton manager Lance Mauck said. "Against a good hitting team like they are that makes for a long night."

Sabins said what makes this streak so special for a Winchester team that has endured two different four-game losing skids and one of five is that it comes later in the season.

"It's always nice to get hot late," said Sabins, who went 2-for-5 and saw his .415 average drop slightly. "Our guys are throwing strikes and giving us a chance every game."

If the Royals are to continue their winning ways and make a postseason push, they'll have to do it without centerfielder Bobby Rauh. The Daytona State Junior College sophomore, whose league-high 37 stolen bases is a new Winchester record, agreed to sign with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. He's expected to report immediately to Atlanta's Class A team in Danville.

"It's bittersweet," Rauh said. "I've made a lot of good friends here, and you can feel the momentum. I'm excited for these guys. They've got so many good players. I think they have what it takes to make a run at the division and even the championship."

Rauh's replacement in center for the time being is Timmy Cross. The Western Michigan sophomore went 2-for-4 with an RBI and had one of six Winchester doubles on the night.

"Timmy's been a true team player," Lowery said. "He hasn't always gotten a lot of time, but he's always ready to play. He's more than capable of handling the job athletically.

"We're happy for Bobby. We knew there was a chance he might sign. He's definitely worthy of being a professional player."