Third straight win is a walk-off

​GAME PREVIEW (Grays vs Dodgers) 6-20-2016

By: DCGrays.com Press: Blane Crouse

The Grays defeated the Baltimore Dodgers in dramatic fashion on Monday night.  The final was 6-5, with the home standing Grays tying the game in the eighth inning and winning it in the ninth. The win puts the Grays over .500 for the first time, with a record of 7-6. The Grays now sit in a tie for second place in the South Division and are riding a three game win streak into an off day tomorrow.

The Dodgers struck first, taking a 1-0 lead on a throwing error by the Grays in the second inning. The Grays quickly answered in the third inning as LF Luke Robinson (Lafayette) singled and came around to score on a throwing error by the Dodgers.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Grays CF Jawan McAllister (Pittsburgh) hit his second home run of the season, driving in Robinson who had reached on a walk.  McAllister’s blast gave the Grays a 3-1 lead.

The Dodgers answered the Grays with a run of their own in the sixth inning and then two runs in the seventh giving – taking a 4-3 lead. The Dodgers continued to add to their lead with a lone run in the top of the eighth inning.

Going into the bottom of the eighth the Grays trailed 5-3 and badly needed some offense to keep their win streak going. Thankfully, that offense came in the form of two RBI singles that tied the game – one from RF Lamar Briggs (Jackson St) and SS Eric Sloper (Shepherd).

The Grays were in a good spot in the bottom of the ninth as the top of their lineup lead off the inning. Robinson flew out to start the inning, bringing up McAllister who was hit by a pitch. 3B Marques Inman (West Virginia) then doubled down the left field line to move McAllister to third base with one out. C Evan Pace (SE Louisiana) was intentionally walked to load the bases and put all the pressure on DH Denzel Chapman (San Diego St). Chapman quickly fell behind 0-2 but worked the count back to 2-2 before hitting a blooper in to the shallow infield. The Dodgers tagged one runner and attempted to throw Chapman out at first but he beat the throw as McAllister crossed home plate giving the Grays the win.

Starting pitcher Jake Josephs (Old Dominion) went 6.1 innings allowing three earned runs and striking out three batters. Brian Quillens (Eastern Kentucky) allowed a run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning, and Trey Congleton (Fairleigh Dickinson) came on in relief and held the fort for 1.1 innings of scoreless ball.  Lefty Bo Burrup (BYU) pitched two thirds of an inning in the ninth and got the win – moving his record to 2-0.

Next up, the Grays will host the Gaithersburg Giants at Nats Youth Academy on Wednesday, June 22nd at 7:00 p.m, as they look to increase their win streak to four games.  The Grays will be hosting players and coaches from Ward 7 Baseball, which is part of the new DC Grays RBI program.