CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Right-hander Lucas Cash gave up just one run on five hits over 8 1/3 innings as he pitched the Charlottesville Tom Sox to a 10-1 win over Winchester in the opening game of the Valley Baseball League championship series Tuesday night on the road.

The Louisa native and Bridgewater College graduate surrendered an RBI single in the third inning, then shut the Royals down for the rest of the night, tossing 113 pitches.

Charlottesville third baseman Grayson McCollum (Kennesaw State)  went 2 for 5 with a home run and five RBIs.

The Tom Sox, playing in their fifth consecutive VBL championship series, are now a win away from the franchise’s fifth title, and first since 2024. The teams meet in Game 2 Wednesday at CHO Airport Field at Charlottesville High School.

After Winchester went ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning, the Tom Sox took over, scoring 10 unanswered runs over the next four frames. Caiden Combs drove in the tying run in the top of the fourth.

The game went into a lightning delay shortly after 8:50 p.m. and resumed just before 10 p.m.

McCollum belted a three-run home run in the top of the fifth. Combs scored on an error in the sixth, and McCollum followed with a two-run single to right field, putting Charlottesville up 7-1.

The Tom Sox bats weren’t finished. In the top of the seventh, Bryce Neely hit a two-run single to right and Xavier McCoury followed with an RBI hit to center, making it 10-1.

The offensive explosion helped send Cash out a winner in his final VBL start. This is his fourth season playing with the Tom Sox, appearing in the playoffs each year. He was a member of the 2022 championship team.

Reliever Henry Knighton picked up the final two outs in the ninth.