Grays losing streak reaches three

​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.