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.
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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. 6/29/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays beat the Alexandria Aces 8-6 on Sunday in Alexandria, and they did it with something that has been short supply thus far in 2014 — clutch hitting with two outs. The win improves the Grays’ record to 9-13 for the season. The scoring started for the Grays in the top of the second. With two outs, Austen Maggin (Emory) singled for the first hit of the game. Max Geller (Santa Fe) singled as well, and Drew Reid (Harvard) drew a walk to load the bases. Leadoff hitter Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) hit a single and drive in Maggin. Eric Urry (Brigham Young) came up next, and Geller scored on a passed ball before Urry singled to bring home Reid. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) then singled to bring home Sweeting for a 4-0 lead. The Aces answered back in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs after the two-out mark. However, in the top of the fifth the Grays added to their lead. Jay Graham (Dartmouth) hit a double to score Bobo. Michael Breen (San Jose State) scored Graham on a single, increasing the lead to 6-4. The Aces scored in the bottom of the inning to once again bring the game within one run, but the Grays increased the lead once more in the top of the sixth. After Reid was walked again, Bobo drove him in with a double. Graham then drove in Bobo once again. Winning pitcher Max Kaplow (George Washington) gave up four runs on eight hits over the course of five innings. Sherman Graves (Savannah State), who came out after Kaplow and pitched 1.2 innings, gave up two runs on two hits, and Ari Kaufman (Lafayette) was spotless in 1.1 innings of relief. Closer James Lengal (Brigham Young) pitched a three up, three down ninth to get the save. The Grays are on the road again Monday, and will play the Baltimore Dodgers at Joe Cannon Stadium. 6/28/14
By: Anna Dunlavey Yesterday was a long, hot afternoon of baseball that the DC Grays might want to forget. They dropped a double header to the Baltimore Dodgers, the last place team in the Ripken League. The Grays and Dodgers battled for twelve innings in the first game before the 3-2 Dodgers victory, and the Dodgers went on to rout the Grays 5-0 in the second game.The Grays are now 8-13 for the season. The Dodgers scored in the very first inning of the first game. They had a 2-0 lead by the top of the second. It took the Grays until the bottom of the sixth to get on base, and until the bottom of the seventh to get on the board. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) hit a double, and Brandon Chapman (George Washington) drove him home with a single. They tied the game up in the bottom of the eighth, when Trae Sweeting (Georgia State), who had advanced to first on a walk, scored on a wild pitch. It took four more innings and many close calls before the Dodgers scored on a wild pitch themselves to take the 3-2 lead. The Grays loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but were not able to score. The double-header was supposed to be two nine-inning games, but after the first game went longer than expected,the second game was shortened to seven innings. This time, however, it was no contest. An unearned run, a two-run home run and a two run single put the Dodgers up 5-0 and the game out of the Grays’ reach. Colin Kelly (Catholic) started the first game, and gave up two runs on six hits in six innings. Jay Graham (Dartmouth) pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth innings, and Sherman Graves (Savannah State) pitched a clean 1.1 innings after. Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) pitched the final 2.2 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and was tagged with the loss. Justin Drechsel (Johns Hopkins) was tagged with the second game loss, giving up the five runs on six hits. Andre Wilson pitched the scoreless and hitless final inning. Today the Grays hope to pick up a win when they travel to Alexandria to play the Aces. Max Kaplow (George Washington) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 6/27/14
By: Anna Dunlavey Last night’s game between the DC Grays and the Rockville Express ended on an awkward, or one might say, “walk-ward” moment, when the Grays scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch during an intentional walk. It was the third run of the game scored either because of a wild pitch or a passed ball. With the 3-2 win, the Grays are 8-11 on the season. It was an error-filled affair from the beginning. The first Express run, in the top of the first inning, scored on an overthrow on a pickoff attempt by the Grays. The Grays, however, did not let the Express keep the early lead. In the bottom of the first, Eric Urry (Brigham Young) had a double for the first Grays’ hit of the game, and Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) was walked. Urry ran to third on a passed ball during Lucas Martinez’s (New Mexico State) at bat, and both Urry and Bobo advanced on a wild pitch during the same at bat, with Urry scoring. Martinez singled up the right field line, scoring Bobo for a 2-1 Grays lead. The Express tied the score in the fourth, again on a passed ball, and the game remained tied until the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, things got interesting. Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) was hit by a pitch with one out, and Bobo hit a double that moved Sweeting to third. The Express changed pitchers, and decided to intentionally walk Martinez to set up a force at any base. The plan backfired when the new Express pitcher threw a wild pitch over the catcher’s outstretched glove. Sweeting took off from third and sprinted home from third with the winning run. Grays starter Tyler Shamas (Mitchell) pitched five innings and gave up two runs on two hits in his home debut. In the sixth inning, Ari Kaufman (Lafayette) relieved him and pitched four clean innings and picked up the win. On Saturday, the Grays will play a double header at the Nationals Youth Academy against the Baltimore Dodgers. Colin Kelly (Catholic) is expected to start the first game, and Justin Drechsel (Johns Hopkins) is expected to start the second. 6/25/14
By: Anna Dunlavey If the weather had held for just a few more minutes, the DC Grays might have found their way into the win column last night. But torrential rain, thunder, and lightning forced the game against the Gaithersburg Giants to be called midway through the seventh inning, with the Giants up 3-2. The loss drops the Grays to 7-11 for the season. The game started slowly for both teams, with few hits from either side. Grays starting pitcher Joe Kinee (West Chester) pitched 4.1 innings and was charged with three runs on three hits. New signee Sam Delaplane (Eastern Michigan) relieved Kinee in the fifth inning and pitched well. The Grays began a rally in the top of the seventh inning, as it began to drizzle. Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) hit a single, then stole second. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) singled as well, moving Sweeting to third. He then scored on Michael Breen’s (San Jose State) single. With Brandon Chapman (George Washington) at bat, a wild pickoff attempt allowed Bobo to score, making the score 3-2 and giving the Grays a chance to tie things up. The game was almost called in the middle of Lucas Martinez’s (New Mexico State) at bat, after Breen and Chapman had stolen third and second respectively, putting them in scoring position. Martinez was allowed to finish, but unfortunately struck out in the pouring rain, effectively ending the game. The Grays will have a day off today before returning to the Nationals Youth Academy on Friday to play the Rockville Express. Tyler Shamas (Mitchell) is the Grays’ expected starting pitcher. 6/23/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays were involved in a train wreck last night. The Bethesda Big Train came roaring into the Nationals Youth Academy to demolish the home team 15-1. The Grays’ record for the season is now 7-10, while the league leading Big Train improved to 14-1. At first, it seemed as though the night might end in the Grays’ favor. After starting pitcher Tommy Broyles (Drew) pitched a quick first inning, Eric Urry (Brigham Young) hithis second home run of the year. The drive over the centerfield fence was the first run of the game, but the last run for the Grays. The Big Train fired back with two runs of their own in the top of the second, and kept increasing the lead throughout the game. The Big Train gave trouble to all four of the Grays pitchers. Broyles, who also started against Big Train in the two teams’ last match up, gave up six runs on six hits, including one two-run homer, in five innings. Ari Kaufman (Lafayette) relieved him in the sixth, and had soon walked two batters and hit another with a pitch to load the bases.The Big Train scored four runs in that inning. The top of the seventh brought an onslaught of defensive changes, including Andre Wilson (Grambling State) replacing Kaufman on the mound. Wilson also loaded the bases at the start of what would be another four run inning for the Big Train, and gave up another run in the eighth. Arnie Capute (Williams) a scoreless ninth, but by then the outcome was no longer in doubt. The Grays will have a day off today before traveling to the Gaithersburg Giants on Wednesday. 6/22/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays are back in the win column, beating the Vienna River Dogs 6-5 Sunday night in Vienna. The win snaps a three game losing streak and brings the Grays’ record to 7-9 for the season. The most important thing the Grays did last night was something they had been struggling to do for the past few games—they got on base. The Grays had more hits tonight than they had in any of their past five games. The scoring started in the top of the first. Austin Sanders (University of Alabama-Huntsville), the Grays’ leadoff hitter, walked and scored on a sacrifice fly by Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana University). The River Dogs answered back in the bottom of the inningwith a run off Grays’ starting pitcher Harry Thomas (Delaware State). The Grays were not deterred, loading the bases in the top of the second. Sanders then helped the Grays score again with a single that drove home Lucas Martinez (New Mexico State). Once again, the River Dogs answered with a run of their own in the second to keep the game tied. After Thomas loaded the bases in the third, Max Kaplow (George Washington) replaced him on the mound. The River Dogs scored two runs before the Grays could find a way out of the inning. The score remained 4-2 until the top of the eighth, thanks to excellent relief work by Kaplow. In the 8th, the Grays unleashed an offensive storm. Once again, batting with the bases loaded, Sanders drove in a run with a fielders choice —Aaron Tovsky (Davidson) was out at second, but Michael Breen (San Jose State) was able to score. Eric Urry (Brigham Young) came up to bat next, and after Sanders stole second, Urry hit a double to score both Sanders and pinch runner Des Stegall (Grambling State). The Grays took a slim 5-4 lead. Kaplow left the game in the eighth with the bases loaded, and was relieved by Sherman Graves (Savannah State). A balk was called on Graves before he even threw his first pitch, and the game was tied 5-5. Graves escaped further damage andin the top of the ninth, Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) gave the Grays something they could have used during their losing streak—a run without a single hit. After he was walked, he stole both second and third base before scoring on an error by the catcher. It all came down to Graves in the bottom of the ninth, and he pitched a spectacular inning, striking out the three final River Dogs batters to get the win. Graves is now tied for first in the Ripken League in wins with three. He did not give up any hits or runs in the 1.2 innings he pitched. Thomas gave up four runs on five hits, and Kaplow was charged with one run on just one hit. The Grays return home to the Nationals Youth Academy Monday to face the Bethesda Big Train. Tommy Broyles (Drew) is the projected starting pitcher for the Grays. |
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