7/21/14
By: Anna Dunlavey Last night’s game between the DC Grays and the Gaithersburg Giants was nip and tick all night, until a bases loaded walk gave the Giants a win in extra innings. The Grays are now 11-24 as the final week of the season begins. The visiting Grays scored first, with two outs in the top of the first. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) doubled to left field, and Jay Graham (Dartmouth) drove Bobo in on a single. The Giants answered back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning off of Grays’ starting pitcher Andre Wilson (Grambling State). After a home run and an error allowed two more Giants runs to score in the bottom of the second, it seemed like the Grays might not be able to come back from the three-run deficit. The Grays answered back in the fourth, when a double by Max Geller (Santa Fe) scored both Desmond Stegall (Grambling State) and Austin Sanders (University of Alabama-Huntsville), both of whom had singled earlier in the inning. Geller then scored on a single from Drew Reid (Harvard). The Giants got another run in the bottom of the inning to lead 5-4, but their lead did not last long. The team of Bobo and Graham came out in the top of the fifth to tie things up again. After leadoff hitter Bobo tripled, Graham brought him home on a deep sacrifice fly to left. Harry Thomas (Delaware State) inherited a base runner when he relieved Wilson in the bottom of the inning, but immediately got three outs to strand the Giants’ runner. The Giants scored in the sixth, and the game might have ended with a score of 6-5 if not for a close play in the top of the eighth. Michael Breen (San Jose State) walked, and Reid singled with two outs. Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) then singled to left field, allowing Breen to score and Reid to try for third. The throw beat Reid to the bag, but he avoided the tag long enough for Breen to cross the plate with the tying run. A scoreless ninth lead to extra innings. Although leadoff batter Sanders walked to start off the tenth, he was stranded there. In the bottom of the inning, Ari Kaufman (Lafayette) had two quick outs, but two singles and a walk loaded the bases. After a number of close pitches, another Giants batter walked, allowing the winning run to score and ending the game. Wilson, in his first start of the season, pitched four complete innings and gave up five runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Thomas, who also pitched four complete innings, gave up one run on two hits with three strikeouts. Kaufman pitched the final 1.2 innings, and gave up one run on one hit with a strikeout. The Grays have a day off Tuesday, but return to the Nationals Youth Academy tomorrow to face the Baltimore Dodgers on Wednesday. Colin Kelly (Catholic) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays.
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7/20/14
By: Anna Dunlavey On Sunday night the DC Grays did something that few other teams in the Cal Ripken League have been able to do—they beat the Bethesda Big Train on their home field. The Grays notched a 5-1 victory in their last time facing Bethesda this season. The Grays’ record improved to 11-23 on the season. Max Kaplow (George Washington) pitched his finest game of the season. He pitched 8.1 innings, struck out six batters, and gave up only one run on five hits to the team with the best record in the league. James Lengal (Brigham Young) came out to close the game after the first out in the bottom of the ninth. He did not give up any runs or hits, and had one strikeout. He notched his seventh save of the season. The Grays took the lead in the top of the second inning. Jay Graham (Dartmouth) doubled, and Desmond Stegall (Grambling State) blasted a triple to score him. Stegall then scored on a sacrifice fly from Eric Urry (Brigham Young). The Big Train scored one run in the bottom of the inning, but it was all they could manage for the night. After quick fourth and fifth innings, the Grays logged another run in the top of the sixth. Stegall hit a ball off the Big Train pitcher’s leg, and an overthrow to first allowed him to get all the way to third. Brandon Chapman (George Washington) then drove him home on a single to center field. In the top of the eighth, Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) singled to move Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville), who had singled previously, to second. Although the Big Train attempted to throw Tietjen out, the ball missed the second baseman and Tietjen was able to get to third. Tietjen then scored on Graham’s sacrifice fly to left field. The Grays tacked on an insurance run in the ninth. After Michael Breen (San Jose State) and Drew Reid (Harvard) singled, Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) walked to load the bases. Breen then came around to score on a wild pitch. The Grays hope to extend this win into a streak tonight, when they travel to Gaithersburg to face the Giants. Andre Wilson (Grambling State) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 7/19/14
By: Anna Dunlavey It began to drizzle in Vienna during the fifth inning of last night’s game between the DC Grays and the Vienna River Dogs. The Grays probably wish the rain had come down harder so the game would be called. Instead, the game went to a full nine innings, with the River Dogs beating the Grays 9-5. This loss now puts the Grays’ record at 10-23 on the season. The game started well enough for the Grays. Although starting pitcher Tyler Shamas (Mitchell) gave up a run on a bases loaded walk in the second inning, he struck out the next three batters. In the top of the third inning, Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville) bunted for a single, and Desmond Stegall (Grambling State) doubled to bring Tietjen all the way around to score, tying the game at one. In the top of the fifth inning, Drew Reid (Harvard) singled and then stole second during Trae Sweeting’s (Georgia State) at bat. Sweeting’s bunt looked like a sacrifice, but because Sweeting is one of the fastest runners in the league, he managed to both beat the throw to first and move Reid to third. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) brought Reid home on a sacrifice fly, and Sweeting later scored on a wild pitch. They Grays had a 3-1 lead, but only for a short time. In the bottom of the fifth, the River Dogs scored three runs on four hits. They followed up in the sixth inning with four runs on five hits to give themselves an 8-3 lead. In the top of the seventh, Reid came through again — this time with a double. Max Geller (Santa Fe) came out to run for him at second base. Sweeting was hit by a pitch, and Austin Sanders (University of Alabama-Huntsville) singled to load the bases. Bobo then walked, bringing home Geller. Jay Graham (Dartmouth) hit into a double play for the inning’s first two outs, but Sweeting was still able to score. Although the Grays had managed to cut the River Dogs’ lead in half, another River Dogs run in the bottom of the seventh sealed their fate. Shamas pitched four innings and gave up four runs on five hits. The next four Grays pitchers to enter the game each pitched one inning. Caleb Evans (Liberty) relieved Shamas in the top of the fifth and also gave up four runs on five hits. Sherman Graves (Grambling State) gave up two hits in the top of the sixth, but no runs. Arnie Capute (Williams) gave up a run and a hit in the top of the seventh, and David Kimbrough (Delaware State) had a three-up-three-down eighth. Tomorrow, the Grays will go to Bethesda to take on the league-leading Bethesda Big Train. Max Kaplow (George Washington) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 7/18/14
By: Anna Dunlavey Returning to the Nationals Youth Academy from the three day All-Star break, the DC Grays lost both ends of a doubleheader to the Herndon Braves on Friday night, losing 4-2 and 7-1. The losses put the Grays’ record at 10-22 on the season. The Braves began piling up runs in the second inning of game one. They scored three runs off of Grays’ starting pitcher Joe Kinee (40). Caleb Evans (Liberty) replaced Kinee on the mound in the next inning, and gave up one run. Andre Wilson (Grambling State) pitched a scoreless the fifth inning, and Arnie Capute (Williams) pitched a scoreless sixth. The Grays saved their rally attempt for the final inning of the game, the top of the seventh, when they were down 4-0. Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) doubled, and Eric Urry (BYU) walked. They both advanced to third on a single from Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana), and Sweeting scored on a sacrifice fly from Jay Graham. Desmond Stegall (Savannah State) then drove in Urry with a fielders choice. However, both the rally and the game ended there. The Grays took the lead in the second game of the double header. In the bottom of the first inning, Austin Sanders (University of Alabama-Hunstville) doubled, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Drew Reid (Harvard). Bobo scored Sanders on a single up the middle. The Braves responded with a run of their own in the next half inningoff of starting pitcher Colin Kelly (Catholic), and continued scoring in almost every inning after, foiling Kelly and Sherman Graves (Grambling State). On Saturday, the Grays will travel to James Madison High School to face the Vienna River Dogs for the final time this season. Tyler Shamas (Mitchell) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 7/16/14
By Anna Dunlavey Last night was the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League’s All-Star game, and three players represented the DC Grays. Webb Bobo and Trae Sweeting were named to the South All Star Team, and Joe Tietjen participated in the Home Run Derby before the game. First baseman Bobo and centerfielder Sweeting are rising sophomores, Bobo at Southeast Louisiana University and Sweeting at Georgia State University. This is the first summer in the Ripken League, and the first All Star Game at the collegiate level for both of them. “Coming into the summer ball season, it was one of my goals to make the All-Star Team, and being able to make that goal feels great,” said Bobo. “It’s an honor to be nominated,” said Sweeting. “I feel like everybody plays for that.” Bobo, a native of Pratville, Alabama, jokes that his all-star sounding name has been an incentive since he was young. Since little kid baseball, I’m always known as Bobo, never Webb,” he said. “The name is really fun, I always get ‘That’s a great baseball name!’ I have to live up to it.”Although he does not necessarily have a favorite player, his favorite major league team is the Tampa Bay Rays. Sweeting, won the 60-Yard Dash contest before the Home Run Derby—he can run the distance in under six seconds. “I just woke up and had speed and I just worked on it,” Sweeting said. He leads the league in stolen bases. Sweeting is from Nassau, Bahamas, but he is a supporter of The Los Angeles Angels. He looks up to Angels outfielder (and Tuesday night’s Major League All Star Game MVP) Mike Trout as a role model. Tietjen, a rising sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Asheville from Waxhaw, NC, hit two home runs in the Grays’ Monday night win over Youse’s Orioles. Those two put him at four home runs on the season and tied him for first in the league in home runs. Conveniently, Monday night was when the Home Run Derby lineup was announced, and Tietjen made sure he warranted a place on the list. He did not place in the derby but had a decent outing. For all of these players, the best part of baseball is ending with a win. “Every day you come out here it can go either way,” Sweeting said. “You just have to give it your all and play your hardest because anyone can win.” Bobo agreed.“Being able to leave the park and knowing you did everything you could to help the team win, that’s the best part,” he said. 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. 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. |
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