Grays beat Aces, move up in standings

​Andrew Houghton 7/16/13

The Grays scored three runs in the first inning and held on to beat the home-standing Alexandria Aces 4-3 on Tuesday.  The win moves the Grays back to .500 at 17-17 before the all-star break.

The Grays got off to a hot start in this one when Jud Sherrill (Alabama-Huntsville), Greg Olenski (Delaware), and Peyton Fuller (Troy University) all recorded RBI hits in the top of the first, giving starter Tom Murphy (Williams College) a three-run cushion before he even took the mound.  Murphy pitched well, battling through 5.2 innings but giving up single runs in the first, third and sixth and leaving with the game tied at three.  Jayson Yano (Stevens Tech) then got the call from manager Arlan Freeman and responded brilliantly, pitching 2.1 innings of one-hit relief while striking out four.  Meanwhile, the Grays offense took the lead back in the eighth when Fuller and Casey Hicks (Gallaudet) walked with one out, center fielder Eric Ramsey (Wake Forest) reached on a mishandled bunt, and shortstop DJ Miller (Delaware State) grounded out, scoring Fuller.  Yano shut down the Aces in the bottom of the eighth, and Chris Nee (Catholic) did the same in the ninth, as the Grays moved into sixth place in the Ripken League.

The Ripken League all-star game is on Wednesday, July 17th at 7:30 pm at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, Maryland.  Greg Olenski, Cody Walker, Mitch Leeds, and Henry Sisson will represent the Grays on the South Division team.

The Grays play next on Thursday, July 18th at 7:00 pm against the Vienna River Dogs at James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia.