Grays best Aces to close season

​7/26/14

By: Anna Dunlavey

The DC Grays went out with a win. The Grays defeated the home standing Alexandria Aces 5-3 in their final game of the season Saturday night. The win brings their season record to 15-25, and they finished in ninth place in the eleven-team Ripken League.

Max Kaplow (George Washington) pitched his second 7+inning game of the week. Kaplow gave up the three runs on seven hits, and had four strikeouts. Jay Graham (Dartmouth), who started the night at first base, relieved Kaplow in the top of the eighth with no outs. As a pitcher, he gave up no runs or hits. As a batter, he drove in three of the Grays’ five runs. The other two were driven in by Webb Bobo (Southeastern Louisiana) in a game-tying two-run home run. Bobo ends the regular season with the highest batting average in the Ripken League. Bobo’s fellow All-Star team member Trae Sweeting (Georgia State) also hit a milestone last night. In the first inning, Sweeting successfully stole his 24th base of the season.

The Aces scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the second, but the Grays immediately answered back. After Sweeting walked and Lucas Martinez (New Mexico State) was hit by a pitch, Bobo singled to load the bases with no outs. Graham then drove in Sweeting with a sacrifice fly to tie the game.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the fifth, when the Aces scored two runs with two outs in that inning to make the score 3-1.

In the top of the seventh, after a base hit from Max Geller (Santa Fe), Bobo blasted his third home run of the season, and second two-run homer in a week, to tie the game again. The game stayed tied until the top of the ninth, when the Grays struck again. After Geller hit a double, Sweeting drew a walk and Bobo was intentionally walked. The bases were loaded for Graham, who ripped a double down the third base line to give the Grays the 5-3 lead.  Graham then pitched a scoreless bottom of the ninth for the win, his first of the season.

This game concludes the Grays’ 2014 season. Thank you for following the DC Grays this summer, and we will see you next year.