Grays overcome rough start, beat T-bolts

​Andrew Houghton 7/21/13

The Grays started slow, but scored three in the fourth and four in the sixth to easily beat the Silver Spring Takoma Thunderbolts 7-2 at Hoy Field on Sunday.  The win gives the Grays a slim hold on the sixth and final playoff spot in the Ripken League as they ran their record to 20-18 on the season.

The victory looked in doubt when starter Enrique Oquendo (McLennan CC) gave up two walks and a run in the third as the T-bolts took a 1-0 lead.  The Grays offense had squandered several chances in the early innings but finally broke out in the fourth when Greg Olenski (Delaware) led off with a single, moved to third on a double by Kelton Caldwell (BYU), and scored on a wild pitch.  Chris Bzozowski (Keystone College) and Peyton Fuller (Troy University) followed with RBI singles to give Oquendo and the Grays a 3-1 lead.  The Grays bats struck again in the sixth when Fuller tripled home Bzozowski and then scored on shortstop DJ Miller’s RBI single.  Outfielder Brandon Kiser then doubled to score Miller and scored on a sac fly by Harrison Farmer (Furman) to make it 7-1.  Oquendo overcame his early control issues to pitch seven strong innings and get the win, and relievers Yahya Muhammad (Coppin State) and Brian Robett (Greensboro College) each pitched an inning to close out the game.

Playoff Watch: The Grays still control their own destiny in the hunt for the sixth and final playoff spot, as this win left them a half game ahead of Youse’s Orioles and a full game ahead of the Southern Maryland Nationals with six games left to play.

The Grays play next on Monday, July 22nd at 5:00 pm against those same Southern Maryland Nationals at Hoy Field on the campus of Gallaudet University.