​DC Grays News (7/12/2016)

By: DCGrays.com Press: Blane Crouse (@bcrouse_6)

While the 2016 season hasn’t been what the DC Grays hoping for when the season got underway, four Grays players have enjoyed excellent seasons. All four have been named to the Ripken League South All-Star team. 1B/3B Marques Inman (West Virginia), C Evan Pace (SE Louisiana), CF Jawan McAllister (Pittsburgh) and LHP Jacob Erikson (San Diego State) were all rewarded for their impressive seasons thus far and were named to the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League All-Star game tomorrow.

Inman has been a consistent offensive leader for the Grays since the beginning of the season. His 41 hits ranks third in the CRCBL and he leads the league in doubles with 12. He has also hit three home runs and driven in 20 RBIs, and leads the Grays in both categories. While he has beenoutstanding offensively, he has also been a standout defensively at first and third base. He has played 77.2 innings at first recording 74 putouts, six assists and no errors. He has also played 158.1 innings at third base recording 11 putouts and 29 assists.

McAllister has also been an outstanding offensive player for the Grays since day one. He is hitting .295 with two home runs and 12 RBIs as well as five doubles and two triples. He has also walked 12 times and stolen three bases. He has been on the field more than any other Grays player as hehas recorded 235.8 innings in the outfield. McAllister’s offensive versatility has been crucial for the Grays and he finds a way to contribute every day.

Erikson has been the Grays ace all season and constantly goes deep into the game for the Grays. Erikson has a 3-3 record but has pitched two complete games and boasts an ERA of 1.67, which ranks fourth in the CRCBL. He also is the only pitcher to pitch more than 40 innings in the CRCBL this season as he has pitched 43 innings for the Grays, almost eight more innings than anyone else in the league. Erikson had held opposing batters to a .206 batting average and has only allowed one home run and eight earned runs in seven appearances. He also has struck out 21 batters while only walking six.

Pace has been a fixture behind the plate all year for the Grays playing more innings than any other catcher in the league (162.2). He had been outstanding defensively as he is third in the league in putouts with 124 and fifth in assists with 13. Pace has also contributed on the offensive end, hitting .286 with two home runs and 12 runs scored. He has also walked nine times and even stolen a few bases, including stealing home against the River Dogs earlier in the season.

The All-Star game will take place Wednesday (7/13) at Shirley Povich Field (10600 Westlake Drive, Rockville, MD 20852). Gates will open at 3:30pm and there will be a 60-yard dash competition at 3:45 and a homerun derby at 6:30. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30. Grays players will be members of the South team and will take on the All-Stars from the North Division. You can watch the game live at http://livestream.com/accounts/19663665/events/5696716!

​GAME RECAP (Grays at Express) 7/10/2016

By: DCGRAYS.com Press: Josh Shelton

The DC Grays fell to the Rockville Express 14-9 Sunday night. The hosting Express had two five run innings that proved too much for the Grays to overcome. The Grays still sit at last place in the Ripken South division after having dropped their last four games.
Offense was spread out for the Grays, scoring at least one run in all but three innings. Some of the offensive production came from some unlikely players. DH Zach McCrum (Eastern Kentucky) led the team in runs scored with three and hit a lead off triple in the second inning. SS Chris Perez (Grambling St.) went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and C Lucas Martinez (Cal St. San Bernardino) went 3 for 5 with two RBIs.
Pitching for the Grays, however, was a different story Sunday night. Starter Scott Bean (Slippery Rock) only pitched three and two thirds innings, while allowing seven earned runs. RHP Matthew Dalke (Southeastern Louisiana) came into pitch relief in the fourth and finished out the game. Dalke did, however, also allow seven runs (five earned), which in total was too much for the Grays offense to over come.
The Grays will play Monday afternoon in a make up game against the division leading Bethesda Big Train. Game time is scheduled for 5:30pm at the Nationals Youth Academy as the Grays will look to snap a four game losing streak and gain a game back on the division leaders.

​GAME PREVIEW (Grays vs Big Train) 7-11-2016

By DCGrays.com Press

Tonight’s game versus the Bethesda Big Train(20-10), has the Grays(10-20) hosting a make up game that got rained out this past Friday.

The starting pitcher for each team is currently not listed being that it is a make up game.

First Pitch is scheduled for 5:30p at the home of the Grays….the Washington Nationals Youth Academy (3675 Ely Place SE, Washington, DC)

​GAME RECAP (Grays at Big Train) 7/9/2016

By: DCGRAYS.com Press: Blane Crouse

The Grays fell to the Bethesda Big Train 4-2 on Friday night. The loss drops the Grays record to 10-19 and 9.5 games back in the CRCBL South Division.

All of the runs were scored in the fourth and fifth innings. The Grays scored first in the top of the fourth as C Evan Pace (SE Louisiana) drove in LF Lamar Briggs (Jackson St) who had singled earlier in the inning. The Grays scored again when RF Vinnie Catanza (Florida Tech) drove in 3B Marques Inman (West Virginia) with a sacrifice fly. Inman had doubled earlier in the inning. Those would be the only two runs the Grays would score.

The Big Train tied the game in the bottom of the fourth and scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Four runs would be all the Big Train needed as both teams remained scoreless the rest of the game.

Grays’ starting pitcher Jacob Erikson (San Diego St) was solid going 7.1 innings and allowing four runs while striking out five Big Train batters. Inman and Pace each had two hits to lead the Grays.

Next up the Grays will go on the road to take on the Rockville Express on Sunday, July 10th. The Grays will try to right the ship before the all-star break.

​GAME RECAP (Grays at Aces) 7/8/2016

By: DCGrays.com Press: Josh Shelton

The DC Grays must be exhausted after playing back to back to back extra-inning games (including a double header on Wednesday). The latest, a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Alexandria Aces on Thursday in Alexandria, was particularly difficult after the Grays held a two run lead before succumbing in the bottom of the 11th.
In Thursday’s contest, the Grays and Aces were tied with the Grays through ten innings, as each team got excellent pitching and played good defense.
Offense was sparse until the 11th inning, when 3B Marques Inman (West Virginia) scored on 1B Tyler Thomas’ (Shepherd) one out single giving the Grays the first lead of the night. C Evan Pace (Southeastern Louisiana) scored on an error committed by Aces CF Liam McArthur to give the Grays a two run lead headed into the bottom of the 11th.
Pitching for both teams was terrific throughout. Grays starter David Giusti (Lafayette) went six innings, recorded six strikeouts and surrendering just four hits. Bo Burrup (Brigham Young) pitched three shutout innings in relief before surrendering the lead in the 11th.
The Grays will try to snap a two-game losing streak Friday as they travel to challenge the Ripken South division leaders, Bethesda Big Train. It is a scheduled double-header with the first game taking place at 4:30pm.

​GAME RECAP (Grays vs Riverdogs) 7-6-2016

By: DCGrays.com Press: Blane Crouse @bcrouse_6

The Grays lost to the Vienna Riverdogs 3-2 in what was game one of a double header at the Nationals Youth Academy. The game took eleven innings to decide and was a walk off win for the Riverdogs, as they were the “home” team for the first game of the double header.

Both starting pitchers were outstanding in the game as Grays starter, RHP Matthew Dalke (SE Louisiana), went seven innings allowing only one earned run and six hits and Riverdogs starter, RHP Mason Keen (East Carolina), went six innings allowing eight hits and no earned runs.

The Riverdogs struck first in the bottom of the second inning. No more runs would be scored until the Grays tied the game in the top of the seventh when SS Garrett Hudson (Virginia Tech), singled to score LF Lamar Briggs (Jackson St) who had singled and stole second earlier in the inning.

The Riverdogs added another run in the bottom of the eighth putting the pressure on the Grays who began the top of the ninth trailing 2-1. CF Jawan McAllister (Pittsburgh) led off the inning with a walk and later advanced to second and then third on wild pitches. With two outs and the game on the line DH Chris Perez (Grambling St) came up to bat. Perez used his keen eye to work a full count and then drove in McAllister with a single to tie the game. RHP Bryan Quillens (Eastern Kentucky) came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth for the Grays and quickly retired the side.

 Offense was scarce in the 10th inning as there was only one hit between the two teams. In the top of the 11th the Grays offense stalled again producing three quick outs. The Riverdogs took advantage of the Grays lack of offensive output by scoring a run in the bottom of the 11th and ending the game.

As the first game took so long to play it was decided that game two would only be a seven-inning game.  However, the game was suspended in the fifth inning due to a curfew at the Academy – field lights need to be turned off by 11:00PM. The game will resume where it left off the next time the Grays and Riverdogs meet with the Riverdogs leading 5-0.

In addition to Dalke’s impressive outing, Briggs impressed going three for five with a walk and a run scored. 1B Tyler Thomas (Shepherd U) also had a big game going three for four with a walk.

 Next up the Grays will go on the road Thursday to take on the Alexandria Aces. RHP David Giusti (Lafayette) will be on the mound for the Grays. Giusti is 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA and 16 Ks in 21.2 innings pitched. The Grays will look to get back in the win column and climb back in to the playoff picture prior to the all-star break.

​GAME RECAP (Grays vs Giants) 7-6-2016

By: DCGrays.com Press: Josh Shelton

It took an extra inning of play, but the DC Grays finally ended a five game skid with a 5-4 win Tuesday against the Gaithersburg Giants. With the win the Grays improve to 10-16 on the year while moving to seven and a half games back from the Bethesda Big Train.

The Grays trailed the entire game until the seventh inning, when they tied the score at four. The rally started with an RBI single from CF Jawan McAllister (Pittsburgh) that scored 2B Eric Sloper (Shepherd) from third. With two outs, 3B Marques Inman hit a towering fly ball that was dropped by Giants left fielder Tate Shaw, allowing RF Lamar Briggs (Jackson St.) and McAllister to score.

RHP Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Harvard) came on in relief and shut down the Giants in the eighth inning, retiring all three batters he faced with two strikeouts. Then in the ninth, Grays’ ace Jake Erikson (San Diego St.) came in to pitch relief and kept the Giants off the board. After the Grays failed to score with bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Erikson returned to the mound and pitched a second inning of shutout relief.

In the bottom of the tenth inning DH Chris Perez led off with a single, then was bunted to second base by 1B Tyler Thomas (Shepherd) before advancing to third on Sloper’s ground out. With two outs and a runner on third, Briggs stepped up to the plate. Briggs crushed a 1-0 fastball over the centerfielder’s head for a walk off single to score Perez from third and end the game.

The Grays will try and ride this momentum into Wednesday’s double-header against the Vienna River Dogs (11-15) in D.C. Both games will be nine-innings. The double-header starts at 5:00pm and can be listened to live at www.spreaker.com/user/8147824.

​GAME PREVIEW (Grays vs Giants) 7-5-2016

By: DCGrays.com Press

For what has been a dreadful season to this point the Grays definitely needed yesterday’s off day for some rest and hopefully a reset on the season. The Grays(9-16) are technically not out of the playoff hunt as of yet and have a chance to turn around this heart breaking season. Tonight the Gaithersburg Giants(11-12) will visit the home of the Grays, the Washington Nationals Youth Academy tonight at 7p. This will be the last meeting between the two ball clubs this summer unless a playoff showdown occurs.

Tonight on the mound as the starting pitcher for the Grays will be Evan Jordan (SE Louisiana). With an 0-2 record and an ERA sitting at 5.40, Jordan is coming off his best performance for the Grays in last start in which he went 6 innings and allowing 2 earned runs (4 total) while striking out 5 batters. The Grays lost the game 4-1 to the Alexandria Aces.

The first pitch for tonight’s game is scheduled for 7p at the home of the DC Grays, the Washington Nationals Youth Academy (3675 Ely Place SE, Washington, DC)

​GAME RECAP (Grays vs Redbirds ) 7-3-2016

By: DCGrays.com Press: Josh Shelton

The bats were hot Sunday, but for the wrong team. The DC Grays fell to the league leading Baltimore Redbirds 12-4, moving the Grays record to 9-16. After their fifth straight loss, the Grays are now 8.5 games back in the Ripken League south division and have lost nine of their last 10 games.

The Redbirds got started early scoring four runs in the top of the first inning. Starter Jake Josephs (Old Dominion) gave up nine runs (five earned) and gave up all but two of the Redbirds 11 hits. It was Josephs’ first loss of the season and the first time he had given up more than three earned runs in a game.

The offensive woes continued for the Grays lineup, scoring only four runs, while stranding 14 men on base. In their last three games, opponents have outscored the Grays 16-6. The only offense for DC came in the seventh and ninth innings, but the Grays didn’t have enough firepower to challenge the class of the Ripken League. The four RBIs from the Grays all came from the bottom of the order with RF Vinnie Catanza (Florida Tech) leading the way with two RBIs. Catanza made his first start in two weeks after being sidelined by an ankle injury.

The Grays have the Fourth of July off and then return to action Tuesday as they look to turn it around against the Gaithersburg Giants. Game starts at 7:00pm at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy.

​GAME RECAP (Grays at Giants) 7/3/16 By: DCGrays.com Press: Blane Crouse

The Grays were held to only five hits in Friday night’s 3-2 loss to the Gaithersburg Giants. The loss gives the Grays a record of 9-15. The Grays sit in last place in the CRCBL South Division.

RHP Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Harvard) pitched 6.2 strong innings allowing only 8 hits and 2 runs. RHP Matthew Dalke (SE Louisiana) was assessed with the loss after pitching 1.1 innings and allowing one earned run.

The Grays started off strong as RF Lamar Briggs (Jackson St) led off the game with a home run. The Grays homered again in the top of the sixth as 1B Tyler Thomas (Shepherd) hit one deep for his first home run of the season.

In the bottom of the seventh inning the Giants tied the game at two and the Grays lead was gone for the night. In the bottom of the ninth the Giants scored the final run of the game on a throwing error by the Grays.

Outside of Briggs and Thomas there was not much offensive production. SS Garrett Hudson (Virginia Tech), CF Jawan McAllister (Pittsburgh), and 3B Marques Inman (West Virginia) all contributed with one hit a piece.

Next up for the Grays will be the Baltimore Redbirds who will visit DC on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00PM and RHP Jake Josephs (Old Dominion) will be on the mound as the Grays look to halt their four game losing streak.