7/14/14
By: Anna Dunlavey They did it. After seven straight losses and two winless weeks, the DC Grays finally got a victory. The homestanding Grays beat Youse’s Orioles 5-2, and improved to 10-20 on the season. Starting pitcher Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) was on fire from the first inning, when he struck out two of the three batters he faced. He went on to strike out six more batters for a total of eight, a season high for the Grays. Delaplane only gave up one run and four hits in the six innings he pitched. On the offensive side, Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville) was the standout. He hit two solo home runs, and he reached base five times. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana), playing left field for the first time this season, ignited a two-out rally in the bottom of the first to get the Grays the lead. Bobo doubled, and first baseman Jay Graham (Dartmouth) drove him home on a single to left field. Tietjen hit his first home run over the right-center fence in the bottom of the second. The Grays protected their 2-0 lead with spectacular defense in the third. Delaplane registered another strike out,Michael Breen (San Jose State) made a leaping catch at shortstop for the second out, and after slipping on the turf,third baseman Tietjen caught a foul pop sitting down to end the half-inning. Tietjen hit his second home run in the top of the fourth, a drive that sailed over the left field fence to increase the Grays’ lead to 3-0. A bases loaded walk in the top of the sixth inning scored the first Orioles’ run, but the Grays answered back in the bottom of the inning. After Graham hit a double, Desmond Stegall (Grambling State) and Tietjen were both walked. Eric Urry (Brigham Young) then hit a grounder up the first base line, and although Urry was thrown out, Graham was able to score. Breen then brought Stegall home on a sacrifice fly to centerfield, increasing the lead to 5-1. In the top of the seventh, an Orioles batter advanced to first on a dropped third strike and later came around to score, but that was all that the Grays’ relievers allowed. Andre Wilson (Grambling State), who pitched the seventh inning, gave a run on one hit. Ari Kaufman (Lafayette), who pitched the eighth, and James Lengal (Brigham Young), who closed the game, both pitched scoreless and hitless innings. The Grays will have a few days off for Wednesday’s Ripken League All-Star game. (Bobo and Trae Sweeting from Georgia State will represent the Grays.). The Grays return to the Nationals Youth Academy on Friday to take on the Herndon Braves.
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7/13/14
By: Anna Dunlavey If the DC Grays had held off the Rockville Express for two more outs, last night’s game might have continued at a later date. Instead, the Express took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, and the game was called immediately after as the wind picked up and rain came pouring down. The loss put the Grays at 9-20 on the season. The Grays were the first team to get on the board, in the top of the second inning. Brandon Chapman (George Washington) and Desmond Stegall (Grambling State) both singled to right field. The next batter, Austin Sanders (University of Alabama-Huntsville), was almost thrown out at first base, but an overthrow by the Express let him advance to second and allowed Chapman to score. That was the only run to score that inning, and both Sanders and Stegall were left on base as three Grays in a row struck out. In the top of the third inning, Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana University) was walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He ran home after Chapman singled to centerfield. The throw from the centerfielder and Bobo made it to the plate at the same time, but when the dust cleared, Bobo’s somersault had allowed him to avoid the tag and score. The Express got three runs in the bottom of the third inning, but the Grays answered back in the top of the fifth. Sayvon O’Neal (Texas Southern) singled to third, Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) walked, and Lucas Martinez (New Mexico State) singled to bring O’Neal home and tie the game. Sweeting ran home on a single from Bobo, but was tagged out at the plate. Martinez, however, was able to score on a single from Stegall. The Grays had regained the lead, but not for long, as the Express scored another run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at four. The rain and wind began to pick up in the top of the seventh, when all three Grays batters struck out. In the bottom of the inning, a bunt from the Express brought the runner on third home on a close play at the place. The game was called there, with the score 5-4 Express. Max Kaplow (George Washington) pitched 4.1 innings and gave up four runs on six hits. Sherman Graves (Grambling State) relieved him in the fifth inning and pitched until the end of the game. He gave up one run on two hits, and was tagged with the loss, his first of the season. Tonight, the Grays will return to the Nationals Youth Academy to play a make-up game against Youse’s Orioles. Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 7/12/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays suffered a 4-2 loss to the Alexandria Aces yesterday, and once again, errors by the Grays were to blame. Two of the Aces runs were unearned, and a third scored on a wild pitch. The loss puts the Grays at 9-19 on the season. The Aces scored their first run in the first inning of the game, after a Grays error in centerfield. The run on the wild pitch was scored in the top of the fourth inning, by which point the Grays had only registered two hits. An Aces batter who had been walked came around to score in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, with the Aces leading by three, the Grays finally got on the board. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) walked, and reached second after Lucas Martinez (New Mexico State) singled to left field. Jay Graham (Dartmouth) singled, scoring Bobo with the Grays first run. In the bottom of the ninth, after the Aces had scored another run, it seemed as though the Grays would fightback. Bobo singled to centerfield and reached second on a hard hit single from Brandon Chapman (George Washington). Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville) scored Bobo on a long double to left. That was the extent of the rally, as Michael Breen (San Jose State) grounded out to first base for the last out of the game. Harry Thomas (Delaware State) was tagged with the loss after giving up two runs on three hits over five complete innings. Caleb Evans (Liberty) pitched three innings of relief and gave up two runs on two hits. James Lengal (Brigham Young) pitched the ninth inning, and although he hit the first batter he faced, he got three quick outs for a scoreless inning. Tonight, the Grays will travel to Montgomery College to face the Rockville Express. Max Kaplow (George Washington) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 7/11/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays returned to the Nationals Youth Academy Friday night to take on the Gaithersburg Giants after several off days and rain outs, and the long layoff didn’t improve the Grays fortunes. The Giants won 8-4, and the Grays are now 9-18 on the season. The first three innings were scoreless for both sides, but the Giants broke through with three runs in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning, after Desmond Stegall (Grambling State) singled and stole second, Michael Breen (San Jose State) drove him home. In the bottom of the fifth inning, after the Giants had scored another run, Eric Urry (Brigham Young) batted in Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) after Sweeting walked and stole second. Urry then scored a run himself on a wild pitch before the end of the inning. But the Grays struggled in the top of the seventh, giving up three more runs on some sloppy play. One more unearned run scored in the top of the eighth, after two batters were walked. Although Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) singled to bring Sweeting around for another run in the bottom of the eighth, it wasn’t enough to give the Grays a sustained rally. Tyler Shamas (Mitchell) took the loss for the Grays. He pitched 4.1 innings and gave up four runs on three hits. Joe Kinee (West Chester) relieved him in the fifth and gave up three runs on three hits through 2.1 innings. Ari Kaufman (Lafayette) came in with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and gave up a run in 1.1 innings. TJ Maioriano (University of the Sciences—Philadelphia) pitched a scoreless ninth inning. The Grays return to the Nationals Youth Academy today and will take on the Alexandria Aces. Harry Thomas (Delaware State) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. First pitch is at 1:00 pm. 7/7/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays looked as though they were in complete control of last night’s game against the Baltimore Redbirds, but multiple errors in the bottom of the sixth brought the game to extra innings. After four and a half hours of play and twelve complete innings, the game, which started at 6:30, had to be suspended because the lights on the Redbirds’ field at Calvert Hall High School were scheduled to turn off at 11:00. At that point, the score was a 9-9 tie. The first two innings were scoreless, but the Grays’ offense exploded in the top of the third. After Max Geller (Santa Fe) reached first on an error and David Kimbrough (Delaware State) walked, Lucas Martinez (New Mexico State) brought them both home on a single. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) then doubled to move himself and Martinez into scoring position. Martinez scored on a single from Jay Graham (Dartmouth), and Bobo scored on a single from Michael Breen (Santa Fe State). The Redbirds overthrew when attempting to pick off Breen at first, allowing Graham to score one more run. Grays’ starting pitcher Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) then had a three-up-three-down bottom of the inning to ensure the 5-0 lead. The Grays got two more runs on Redbirds errors, an overthrow after a dropped third strike and a wild pitch. By the top of the sixth inning, the score was 8-2 in favor of the Grays, after a base hit from Bobo with the bases loaded brought in Kimbrough. Then, the Grays began making mistakes of their own. Two wild pitches and an infield error allowed three of the Redbirds’ five runs in the bottom of the sixth. The score became 8-7 and a lead that had seemed safe became endangered. The Redbirds tied the game in the bottom of the seventh with a bases loaded walk, and scored again in the same inning to take a 9-8 lead. Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) tripled and scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly from Bobo. Through the game’s final four innings, Ari Kaufman (Lafayette), who pitched one inning, Caleb Evans (Liberty), who pitched two innings, and Sherman Graves (Savannah State), who pitched the final inning, were able to quiet the Redbirds’ bats. Unfortunately, the Grays’ offense could not find their way around the Redbirds’ pitchers, either. It has not been announced when the game will be rescheduled. Tonight, the Grays travel to Herndon to make up a rained out game earlier in the season against the Herndon Braves. Tyler Shamas (Mitchell) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 7/6/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays gave the Bethesda Big Train a run for their money last night, and they could not have done it without the work of Desmond Stegall (Grambling State). Stegall’s hits were responsible for half of the Grays’ runs. However, throwing errors let three runs score and proved to be their undoing. The Big Train won the game 8-6. The Grays are now 9-17 on the season. Colin Kelly (Catholic) gave up the game’s first run after facing only two Big Train batters, but the Grays were able to fight back. Stegall got the scoring started in the top of the third with a huge home run over the tall centerfield fence. After Austin Sanders (University of Alabama-Huntsville) was walked, Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) tripled to bring Sanders home and give the Grays a 2-1 lead. That lead was quickly demolished in the bottom of the lead with a three-run homer from the Big Train. The Big Train increased their lead again in the sixth on two consecutive runs on wild pitches. In the top of the eighth, the Grays began to rally. Lucas Martinez (New Mexico State) doubled, and he scored on another double from Brandon Chapman (George Washington). Then Stegall returned to the plate and delivered again. This time, he hit a triple to bring in Chapman and Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville). Stegall was almost brought home himself by Eric Urry (Brigham Young), but a stunning catch in right field stopped the scoring for the inning. In the top of the eighth, the Big Train scored again on an overthrow from a pickoff attempt and a single to put the score at 8-5. The Grays did not give up, and continued to battle in the top of the ninth. Bobo was hit by a pitch to reach base, reached second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single from Martinez. Tietjen and Max Geller (Santa Fe) both walked to load the bases with two outs, and a sharp ground ball from Chapman seemed as though it would get past the shortstop and allow more runs to score. However, the shortstop found a way to grab it and throw out Chapman to end the game. Kelly pitched five complete innings and gave up six runs on six hits. Andre Wilson (Grambling State) relieved him in the top of the sixth inning with no outs and the bases loaded. He did not allow a run or a hit, but threw the two wild pitches that allowed Big Train to score. Ari Kaufman (Lafayette) pitched the seventh and gave up one hit. Sherman Graves (Savannah State) came out for the eighth and gave up two hits and two runs, one of them the failed pickoff attempt. Tonight, the Grays travel north to face the Baltimore Redbirds. Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) is the Grays’ expected starting pitcher. 7/5/14
By: Anna Dunlavey Yesterday’s game between the DC Grays and the Vienna River Dogs was a close contest almost all the way through. The Grays showed some of their best defense, with smart infield plays and multiple putouts at the plate. They struggled offensively, however, only getting one hit and one run off of River Dogs starting pitcher Dan Powers over the course of eight innings. The River Dogs took a 3-1 win and put the Grays’ record at 9-16 on the season. The scoring did not begin for either team until the sixth inning, with the River Dogs scoring the game’s first run at the top of the inning. In the bottom of the same innings, the Grays answered back. Drew Reid (Harvard) reached first base on an error, and advanced to second on Trae Sweeting’s (Georgia State) putout. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana University) then produced the Grays’ only hit of the game, a single to centerfield, and Reid beat the throw to the plate to score. Things went south for the Grays in the top of the seventh inning. Caleb Evans (Liberty) had just entered the game, and was attempting to get out of a bases loaded jam with two outs, when he hit the batter, allowing a run to score. The third River Dogs run scored in the top of the eighth. After Michael Breen (San Jose State) walked in the top of the ninth, it seemed as though the Grays might find a way to come back. However, after Bobo flied out to the shortstop, Lucas Martinez’s (New Mexico State) hard hit line drive went directly where the Grays didn’t need it to go—the first baseman’s glove. The first baseman then beat Breen back to the bag for a double play to end the game. Joe Kinee (West Chester) pitched the game’s first 6.1 innings and gave up two runs on four hits. Evans pitched 1.2 innings, gave up one run on two hits, and was tagged with the loss. Ari Kaufman (Lafayette) gave up two hits in the top of the ninth, but did not give up any runs. Tonight, the Grays will play the Bethesda Big Train at their home field for the first time this season. Colin Kelly (Catholic) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. Six different pitchers came to the mound last night for the DC Grays, but none of them could solve the offense of the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts. The Grays offense, in turn, couldn’t solve T-Bolts starting pitcher Michael Austin. The Grays lost to the T-Bolts 5-1, and their record for the season now stands at 9-15.
The T-Bolts took an early lead, scoring their first two runs in the top of the first inning. The Grays’ only run of the game was a solo home run from Austin Sanders (University of Alabama-Huntsville) in the bottom of the second inning. After that, the Grays had trouble both reaching base and staying on base. They mustered only three more hits off of Austin, and had one runner picked off and another caught stealing. The Grays tried to rally in the top of the ninth, once Austin had left the game. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) singled, Michael Breen (San Jose State) was hit by a pitch, and Sanders walked to load the bases. Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville) came up with the bases loaded and two outs, but the T-Bolts brought out a fresh pitcher to face him and, ultimately, strike him out. Sloppy play defensively was again what ultimately cost the Grays. Three different Grays pitchers hit the same T-Bolts batter. Three of the five T-Bolts runs were scored on passed balls. Another run scored when the Grays tagged a runner going to third instead of throwing the ball to the plate. Tommy Broyles (Drew) started the game, and gave up three runs on three hits in 1.1 innings. Justin Drechsel (Johns Hopkins) relieved him, and gave up one run on two hits over the course of three innings. Caleb Evans (Liberty) came to pitch his first game for the Grays with two outs in the top of the fifth. He threw for 1.2 innings also gave up one run on two hits. The last out of the top of the sixth came from TJ Maiorino (University of the Sciences-Philadelphia). He only needed to throw one pitch—the batter hit a ground ball to shortstop Breen and was out at first. Arnie Capute (Williams) came out in the top of the seventh, and pitched two scoreless, hitless innings. Andre Wilson (Grambling State) pitched the top of the ninth, and gave up one hit. Tonight, the Grays will return to the Nationals Youth Academy to play Youse’s Orioles for the final time this season. Joe Kinee (West Chester) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 6/30/14
By: Anna Dunlavey On Monday night the DC Grays lost to the Baltimore Dodgers for the third time in three days, and sloppy defense was the culprit. Costly errors caused the Grays to drop the game 2-1. Their record against the Dodgers is now 0-3 after Saturday’s double-header losses. The Grays’overall record is now 9-14. The Dodgers took an early lead, as they did in both of the double-header games. They scored their first run in the bottom of the second inning. The Grays immediately answered back in the top of the third. Drew Reid (Harvard) reached first on a single, then advanced to third on Trae Sweeting’s (Georgia State) double. A sacrifice fly from Eric Urry (Brigham Young) brought him home. The game remained tied for several innings, but the Grays collapsed in the bottom of the eighth. Two quick outs were followed by two consecutive infield errors. With runners on first and second, pitcher Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) came out to relieve Jay Graham (Dartmouth) on the mound. He walked the first batter he faced, loading the bases, and the Dodgers scored on a wild pitch during the next at bat. Delaplane struck the batter out before any more runs could score, but unfortunately for the Grays, it was too late. The Grays put runners on first and second in the top of the ninth, but could not tie the score. Starting pitcher Harry Thomas (Delaware State) gave up one run on five hits over the course of six well-pitched innings. The final run of the game was charged to Graham, who gave up just one hit in the 1.2 innings he pitched. The Grays have a day off today before returning to the Nationals Youth Academy on Wednesday to take on the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts. Tommy Broyles (Drew) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. |
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May 2015
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