6/21/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays’ night started with an heroic outfield play, but in the end, fielding errors and weak hitting contributed to the Grays’ third straight loss. The FCA Herndon Braves defeated the Grays 6-2 in Herndon last night. The Grays are now 6-9 for the season. In the second inning, Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) made what might end up being the play of the season. He chased a ball hit to deep center field and almost out of the park, jumping and hanging halfway over the outfield fence. The save attempt seemed in vain, until Sweeting dropped back to the field, the ball safely in his glove, to the astonishment of the crowd and both dugouts. Unfortunately, two batters later, another Braves player hit a drive to the same part of the outfield, but higher and deeper, for a home run. The Braves homer gave them a 1-0 lead, and they tacked on three runs later. The Grays were never able to catch up. Lucas Martinez (New Mexico State), the team RBI leader, drove in Sweeting and Joe Tietjen (UNC Asheville) in the top of the seventh to make the score 4-2. The Braves, however, answered back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Justin Drechsel (Johns Hopkins) started his third game of the season, getting four strikeouts and giving up five hits over the course of five innings. Jay Graham (Dartmouth) relieved him in the sixth, when it seemed like the Braves had the bases loaded all inning long and scored three runs. Sherman Graves (Savannah State) struck out the one batter he faced in the seventh, and held off the Braves in a scoreless eighth. Tonight, the Grays will play the last of four straight games on the road, facing the Vienna River Dogs. Harry Thomas (Delaware State) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays.
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6/20/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays traveled to Glen Burnie to play a double header on Friday against Youse’s Orioles — but unfortunately the Grays’ bats stayed home. The Grays were shut out twice — dropping the first game 4-0 and the second game 1-0. Their record now stands at 6-8 for the season. Grays starting pitcher Colin Kelly (Catholic) gave up only three hits in five innings, but unfortunately, one of them was a three-run homer, and that was all the Orioles needed in the opener. The Orioles scored another run on a Grays’ error in the second inning. The second game of the evening was closer, as the Grays wasted another good pitching performance. Tyler Shamas (Mitchell) gave up three hits in six innings in his first start with the Grays. The Grays bats were virtually silent yet again, though — the team collected only seven hits in the twinbill. The Grays continue their stretch of road games on Saturday when they travel to Herndon to face the FCA Herndon Braves. Harry Thomas (Delaware State) is the expected starting pitcher for the Grays. 6/19/14
By: Anna Dunlavey They say good things come to those who wait. And the DC Grays certainly waited a long time to score in last night’s home game against the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts. But a pitcher’s duel gave way to a burst of offense in the late innings, and the result was a 3-2 win for the Grays. The win brought the Grays (6-6) back to .500 for the season. The first T-Bolts batter of the game hit a single up the middle that zipped just past diving second baseman David Kimbrough (Delaware State). That batter came around to score later in the inning, giving the T-Bolts a 1-0 lead before the Grays had even come to bat. That was the only run on the scoreboard for seven innings. Grays’ starter Joe Kinee (West Chester) kept the T-Bolts at bay for six innings. Sherman Graves (Savannah State) pitched scoreless relief in the seventh and eighth. But the Grays weren’t scoring, either, and going into the bottom of the eighth, their fate seemed decided. Then, after Michael Breen (San Jose State) singled, Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville) hit a two-run homer over the left field fence and into the Grays’ bullpen. Later on the inning, Brandon Chapman (George Washington) scored Austin Sanders (University of Alabama-Huntsville) on a double. That insurance run came in handy when the T-Bolts answered with a home run in the top of the ninth. However, Grays closer James Lengal (Brigham Young) struck out the final batter of the game for his league-leading fourth save. Graves was credited with the win. Tonight, the Grays begin a three-day stretch of away games, starting with a double header in Glen Burnie with Youse’s Orioles. Colin Kelly (Catholic University) is the projected as starting pitcher for the Grays in the opener. 6/18/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays scored four runs in the final two innings of last night’s game against the Baltimore Redbirds. Unfortunately, it was way too little, and way too late. The Redbirds trounced the Grays 15-5 for a home win at Baltimore’s Calvert Hall High School. The Redbirds jumped out to an early lead and never let up. Max Kaplow (George Washington), starting for the second time this season, pitched 4.1 innings giving up 7 runs on 10 hits. Andre Wilson (Grambling State) relieved Kaplow in the middle of a bases loaded jam, and gave up three runs while facing his first batter of the game thanks to two passed balls and a wild pitch. Wilson had a three-up-three-down sixth inning, but Arnold Capute (Williams) came out in the bottom of the seventh and was undone by some poor defense, as an error in left field was the catalyst for the Redbirds’ five unearned runs that inning. Des Stegall (Grambling State) had his first outing as pitcher in the eighth inning, and gave up one run on two hits. The Grays didn’t begin scoring until the seventh inning,and even then their runs came courtesy of the Redbirds.The Grays’ scored their first three runs on bases loaded walks, and their last two with the help of passed balls. Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) scored on a passed ball to round out a three run eighth inning. Jay Graham (Dartmouth) doubled in the ninth inning and scored on a Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville) single. Tonight, the Grays return to the Nationals Youth Academy to face the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts for the second time this season. Joe Kinee (West Chester) is expected to start for the Grays. 6/16/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The DC Grays scored only one run in last night’s game against the Herndon Braves. But one was enough, because of outstanding pitching and sure-handed defense. Tommy Broyles (Drew) shut out the Braves for eight complete innings, giving up only three hits to get the win. James Lengal (Brigham Young) pitched a clean ninth inning to get the save. Both pitchers had good defensive support, with both infielders and outfielders making diving stops and running catches. The Grays themselves didn’t get a hit until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana), the first batter of the inning, hit a ground ball single through to right field. A few batters later, with the bases loaded and one out, Austen Maggin (Emory) hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive Bobo home. The 1-0 home win for the Grays stops a two-game losing streak, and evened the Grays’ record at 5-5. The Grays will have a day off tomorrow before traveling to Calvert Hall on Wednesday to face the Baltimore Redbirds for the third time this season. The Grays and Redbirds split their first two games, with the Grays winning the first and the Redbirds taking the second. Max Kaplow (George Washington) is expected to start for the Grays. 6/15/14
By: Anna Dunlavey Last night’s game at Montgomery College between the DC Grays and the Rockville Express was a low scoring affair, with the Express winning 3-2. The Grays’ record is now 4-5 for the season. Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana University) provided all of the Grays’ offense, scoring two runs on his own. The first was a home run to right field in the second inning that barely stayed fair to put the Grays up 1-0. The second was in the top of the ninth inning, with the Grays down 3-1. Bobo hit a double, but continued running to third. The throw to third base almost beat him there, but the Rockville third baseman missed the catch, allowing Bobo to score. Justin Dreschel (Johns Hopkins) gave up three runs on four hits over the course of 6.1 innings. Ari Kaufman (Lafayette) took the mound in the seventh with two runners on and one out. One of those runners came around to score, but Kaufman kept the Express at bay with a three-up-three-down eighth inning. The Grays return home tomorrow to face the FCA Herndon Braves. The team’s first game against the Braves was cancelled due to inclement weather. Tommy Broyles (Drew) is expected to start. 6/14/14
By: Anna Dunlavey It was a windy afternoon Saturday, but the winds did not blow in the DC Grays’ favor. The Grays suffered a 7-1 home loss to the Baltimore Redbirds, putting a halt the Grays’ three game winning streak. The Grays are now 4-4 for the season. Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) provided what offense there was for the Grays, scoring the home team’s only run. After singling and stealing second, Sweeting was driven home byMichael Breen (San Jose State). Sweeting now holds the highest batting average in the league at .529, and is the only Ripken League player to currently be batting above .500. Five different pitchers took the mound for the Graysthroughout the course of the game, and three of them were touched up by the Redbirds. Starting pitcher Harry Thomas (Delaware State) gave up three runs in less than three innings and took the loss. Tomorrow night, the Grays travel to Montgomery College to face the Rockville Express (3-4) for the first time this season. Justin Drechsel (Johns Hopkins) is expected to start for the Grays. 6/12/14
By: Anna Dunlavey The Grays scored six runs last night in their game against the Gaithersburg Giants, and Joe Tietjen (UNC-Asheville) had a hand in all of them. Colin Kelly (Catholic University) pitched six clean innings for his first win of the season — a 6-0 victory for the Grays. The team moved to 4-3 for the young season with its third straight win. Tietjen was the offensive star. In the second inning, he singled on the first pitch. After going to second on a wild pitch and making it to third on Austen Maggin’s (Lafayette) groudout, he scored on a single by Max Geller (Florida Tech). Tietjen’s second at bat, in the bottom of the fourth, looked much like the first—a single to get on base, and a wild pitch allowing him to take second. This time, however, it was Maggin who drove him home with a double. The shining moment for Tietjen, however, came in the bottom of the fifth. After Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) was hit by a pitch, Eric Urry (Brigham Young) was intentionally walked, and Webb Bobo (Southeast Louisiana) was unintentionally walked, Tietjen delivered once again. His long drive sailed over the left field fence for a grand slam and a 6-0 lead. Kelly was sharp on the hill, striking out seven batters while only allowing three hits. He was relieved by Sherman Graves (Savannah State), who pitched the scoreless seventh, and Ari Kaufman (Lafayette), who pitched two scoreless innings of his own. The Giants attempted a rally with runners on first and second with one out, but after a diving stop by Geller, he, second baseman David Kimbrough (Delaware State), and first baseman Bobo pulled off a double play. Tonight, the Grays will travel to Glen Burnie to face Youse’s Orioles. This is their second meeting this season. In the last game, the Grays beat the Orioles 4-2. Harry Thomas (Delaware State) is expected to take the mound for the Grays. 6/12/14
By: Grays Press Casey Hicks (’13 Grays) of Gallaudet University was named “Player of the Year” by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) yesterday. Hicks had a more than solid season this spring putting up some unquestioned numbers both offensively and defensively behind the plate as Gallaudet’s starting catcher. Read more about Casey’s awesome honor and season here. Also of note, William Bissell (’12 Grays) was named to the 2014 ECAC Division III Upstate Baseball All-Star Team (First Team). Bissell also played for Gallaudet. 7/13/14
By: Anna Dunlavey This means that players who go to school together during the year will rarely be on the same teams over the summer, and many players end up seeing their regular season teammates on opposing rosters during the summer. Many DC Grays players have experienced this phenomenon. Some of the Grays battle their classmates from the first pitch to the last out, but before and after the game they remain teammates and friends. Players are sometimes seen at the Nationals Youth Academy going to the opposing team’s dugout to talk to friends. Drew Reid of Harvard University has faced another Harvard player on Youse’sOrioles, and he didn’t find it awkward at all. “It’s a little interesting being in a different scenario with him,” Reid said. Ari Kaufman of Lafayette College has also seen players from his school team and said, “It’s great to see that guys on my team are working hard and continuing to play over the summer.” Some of the Grays’ have played for more than one Ripken League team. Last year, Justin Drechsel of Johns Hopkins and David Kimbrough of Delaware State played for the Baltimore Presstman Cardinals, a team that was dissolved and reformed as this year’s Baltimore Dodgers. Kimbrough noted that although some of the coaches were the same ones he had last year, the team itself was entirely different. “As far as the baseball,” Kimbrough said, “it’s pretty much the same as the Grays.” Since teams often scrimmage at school, summer leagues are not the first time that college team teammates have played against each other. “We inter-squad a lot at school, so you see a lot of each other,” said Jay Graham of Dartmouth College, who pitched against another Dartmouth player a few weeks ago. “It’s a little bit of an advantage, but at the same time it’s facing one of your buddies.” Playing against a college teammate is one of the things that makes summer college baseball unique. “I came out here to meet people from all over the country, to make connections, and there’s no better way to do that than to play baseball in this league,” Kimbrough said. “That’s the fun of summer baseball,” Graham said. “You get to meet people from all over. You obviously get to know everyone at school really well, but you’ve got two months to spend every day with a bunch of kids who you don’t really know going into it. I think that’s pretty cool. |
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May 2015
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