The DC Grays extended their win streak to two on Friday, behind a dominating outing by Eddie Kaftan (Mitchell). DC defeated the Gaithersburg Giants 5-0 in an all-around impressive performance at the Nationals Youth Academy.
Wearing special hats to commemorate Pride month, the Grays started off hot, scoring all five runs in the bottom of the first inning - three coming before the first out. With hits from Delaware States’ Evan Bouldin, Wofford’s Aaron Thomas, Nebraska Omaha’s Henry Zipay and a RBI sac fly from Lafayette’s Justin Grech, the Gray’s were able to get control of the game early. Kaftan made the lead stand up. The right hander pitched a phenomenal game, completing all nine innings and only allowing two hits. He struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter. Kaftan was picking apart the Giants by not only striking them out, but by getting quick outs, only allowing one batter to see six or more pitches. The Giants’ only saw brief success against Kaftan with scattered singles in the third eighth. They had the only two hits for their team this evening compared to the Grays eight. Catholic’s Jessie Lacefield, who played for the Grays last season, took the loss for Gaithersburg, while Julian Elizondo (Washington and Jefferson) closed out the game for the Giants pitching the last five innings. The Grays’ win raised their record to 4-6. DC looks to inch closer to .500 on Saturday as they take on the Metro South County Braves at Washington Nationals Youth Academy, at 7:00 pm.
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By: William Franciscus
A big fifth inning was the difference for the DC Grays on Thursday night. DC scored five runs in the fifth, spurring the team to a 9-7 win against the Olney Cropdusters at First Responder Field. The road win moves the Grays’ record to 3-6 in the Cal Ripken League. DC trailed 1-0 after the third, and then struck back in the top of the fourth. The Grays took the lead after two wild pitches by Olney that scored Parker Goff (BYU) and Evan Bouldin (Delaware State) making it 2-1. The Grays soon found themselves in a jam in the fourth as the bases were loaded with no outs. DC starter Adam Fischer (William & Mary) was replaced by reliever Ryan Wheeler (Alvernia). Wheeler allowed two unearned runs and got the Grays through the inning, but the Cropdusters had a 4-2 lead. When talking about coming in with bases loaded Wheeler said, “I just tried to get the strikes rolling and they will get themselves out.” Trailing 4-2 the Grays turned the tide in the fifth. DC got the ball rolling when Henry Zipay (Nebraska-Omaha) grounded to the pitcher but reached on a throwing error, Mike Mallas (Lafayette) scored, and then Zipay was able to score on a wild pitch tying the game at four. Then Justin Grech (Lafayette) stole home and Goff doubled adding two more runs for the Grays. DC was able to add one more run in the inning as Goff scored on a wild pitch. It was 7-4 after the top of the fifth. The Grays tacked on another run in the sixth on a Zipay sacrifice fly. The Grays received a huge outing from Wheeler as he was the winning pitcher for the Grays. He pitched four innings and allowed no runs on two hits. Wheeler went back out in the fifth with the lead and said, “Pitching with a lead is always better, especially when you have great guys out in the field to make plays.” DC added one more run in the ninth on a sac fly by Stevie Thomas (Catholic) that scored Bouldin. The Cropdusters put a little scare in the Grays as they scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth, but Sam Stratton (Wofford) came in for the final out and got the save as the Grays won 9-7. The Grays had strong performances all around tonight as Larson, Goff, Bouldin, and Joe Marini (Catholic) all had two hits tonight for DC, and Aaron Thomas (Wofford) added a double in the offensive surge for the Grays. The Grays hope to start a winning streak now that they have four consecutive home games. Wheeler said, “We got a momentum shift and hopefully we can win tomorrow and then take a couple of wins this weekend.” The Grays will start their homestand tomorrow at the Nationals Youth Academy against the Gaithersburg Giants at 7 o'clock. The team will be wearing special Pride hats for the weekend. The hats will also be on sale at the Grays merchandise tent. By Jeffrey Nelson
Leaving runners on base has been an early theme this season for the DC Grays, and it was the main culprit in DC’s road loss Wednesday night to the Southern Maryland Senators. The Grays dropped a 4-3 decision at Regency Furniture Field in Waldorf. As often happens, things started off well for the Grays. Kaleb Willis (Lafayette) scored the first run of the ballgame in the first inning. With Evan Bouldin (Delaware State) at the plate, Connor Larson (Wofford) stole second and simultaneously on the throw to second, Willis broke for the plate. A low throw and an accredited error to Senators shortstop, Patrick Ward, gave the Grays the early lead. Wednesday’s starter, Kimani Davis (Xavier/LA) was well improved on the mound compared to his start at home five days ago. Falling one out short of completing five innings, Davis controlled the zone more effectively as well as his off-speed pitches. After Myles Sargeant (Maine) drilled his first homerun for the Grays with one out in the second, the Grays lead stood at 2-0. Davis’ first spell of trouble came in the bottom half. A lead-off walk was followed by a fielder’s choice - and then Matt Ilgenfritz (Gardner-Webb) crushed a two-run homer over the high wall in left field. Not yet through the inning, Davis stranded two runners with the help of Larson and the glove of first baseman, Joe Marini (Catholic). The Senators would take the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Cadyn Karl (Kansas State) doubled to left, was moved over by a sacrifice fly, and scored on a Patrick Ward (Florida Atlantic) single to center. Davis was struggling to miss bats and the Senators took advantage. DC second basemen, Braeden Mondeau (BYU), was spiked in the left wrist on a stolen base attempt by Ward and had to leave the game – a blow to the Grays. Mikey Guy (Frostburg State), doubled to left field, just barely missing the Senators’ second two-run homerun of the day. This prompted a call to the bullpen – and Kyle Tyler got Brett Vondohlen (Middle Tenn State) to bounce out to third. In the eighth, the Grays had their best shot to tie the game. Parker Goff (BYU) singled, followed by an Bouldin walk. Aaron Thomas (Wofford) who came in to replace the injured Mondeau, layed down a sacrifice bunt - moving Goff and Bouldin into scoring position. A wild pitch allowed Goff to score, but once again the Grays stranded the tying run at third. Lucky Perrotto (Catholic) escaped a tricky situation in the bottom half. Larson cut down a runner at the plate on a ground ball and ground out to second ended the inning. In the ninth, the Grays went down one-two-three. The Grays dropped to 2-6 with the loss, and travel to Olney on Thursday for a 5pm tilt with the Cropdusters. By Dominic Varela
Good pitching was the order of the day Monday at the Nationals Youth Academy, as the DC Grays and Metro South County Braves split a rainy-day doubleheader. DC defeated South County 5-1 in Game 1 before falling 2-1 in Game 2. Mitchell righty Eddie Kaftan got the start for the Grays in the 4 p.m. opener. Just like his eight-inning performance on June 6, Kaftan was dominant, tossing six strong innings with four strikeouts while yielding only one earned run. D.C. held onto a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fifth when BYU’s Braeden Mondeau sent a two-run shot over the center field wall. Later in the inning, an RBI double off the bat of Wofford’s Connor Larson knocked Metro South County pitcher DJ Muirhead (Marymount) out of the game. The teams were then hit with a slight rain delay, but the action resumed about 10 minutes later. Following the delay, Kaftan flashed his only sign of weakness, allowing an RBI single in the top of the sixth. “I definitely didn’t feel quite as lively,” Kaftan said. “I think Coach could tell and figured it was a good time to sit me down.” Wofford southpaw Sam Stratton finished off the match for the Grays, striking out six Braves over the final three frames. Powered by strong pitching and Larson’s four hits, D.C. took Game 1 of the twin bill. The Grays handed North Carolina A&T righty Diego Barrett the ball for Game 2. Like earlier in the day, D.C. struck early, as Delaware State’s Evan Bouldin scored on a bases-loaded walk to Maine's Myles Sargeant in the bottom of the first. From there, the Gray offense stalled, failing to register a run for the rest of the ballgame. The Braves tied the game in the fifth before taking the lead on a bases-loaded balk by Barrett in the seventh. By Duncan Weigand
The DC Grays got steamrolled by a relentless offensive attack by the visiting Bethesda Big Train, losing 15-2 in seven innings on Sunday afternoon at the Nationals Youth Academy. The Big Train played a “bullpen game” to perfection as four pitchers took the hill. Brandon Clarke (Liberty University) was the pitcher of record for Bethesda despite only pitching two innings. In those two innings Clarke allowed three walks but struck out three as well. The Big Train started the onslaught early in the first inning giving Grays starter Kai Cummings (Cabrini University) no chance to settle in. Bethesda put three on the board in the opening frame thanks to a home run by Jeffery Heard (Sacramento State) that set the tone for the game. Bethesda also put up a five spot in the third, giving them an 8-0 advantage. The big bats of Bethesda managed to plate another five runs in the sixth, all but ending the game right then and there. Two more runs in the seventh were the cherry on top of the Train’s Sunday victory. There were few highlights for DC, but Parker Goff (BYU) and Connor Larson (Wofford) both collected two hits and an RBI on the afternoon. The Grays (1-4) look to snap the three game skid, with a double header against the South County Braves on Monday. Game one will begin at 4 p.m. at the Washington Nationals Youth Academy. By William Franciscus
A promising start for the DC Grays was wiped away on Saturday afternoon, as an early 4-0 lead turned into a 13-7 loss to the hometown Gaithersburg Giants at Criswell Automotive Field. Julian Elizondo (Washington & Jefferson) earned the win in his first appearance of the season. While Adam Fischer (William & Mary) picked up the loss after going three innings and giving up five runs on three hits in his first start of the year. The game started promisingly for DC. Kaleb Willis (Lafayette) scored on a passed ball in the first. Parker Goff (BYU) then hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning that scored Connor Larson (Wofford), giving D.C. another run. Then in the top of the fourth, the Grays added two more runs on a Kyle Tyler (Valparaiso) sacrifice fly and a Larson fielder’s choice that gave the Grays a 4-0 lead. Then the roof caved in for the Grays, as the Giants put up 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. They had 4 hits, 4 walks, and 3 hit-by-pitches in the inning that gave them a 10-4 lead going into the fifth inning. D.C. was able to scratch across a run in the fifth as Joe Marini (Catholic) scored on a wild pitch making the score 10-5. The Giants added another run in the fifth and then two in the seventh inning making it a 13-5 ballgame. The Grays were able to put a little pressure on the Giants in the ninth inning with RBI singles from Braedon Mondeau (BYU) and Myles Sargeant (Maine) that cut the Gaithersburg lead to six, which is how things ended. The Grays (1-3) will look to get back on track tomorrow Sunday, June 11 against the Bethesda Big Train (3-2) at 5 p.m. at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. The DC Grays (1-2-0) struggled offensively against the Alexandria Aces (3-0-0) in their first
meeting of the season. Despite a strong day behind the bat for Delaware States’ Evan Bouldin, the Grays fell 17-8 to the Aces at Washington Nationals Youth Academy. Massachusetts Boston’s Sam Belliveau was handed the pitching win for the Aces, allowing only two hits over his three innings on the mound. The Grays put runs on the board first, heating up following Bouldin double and some expert base running from BYU’s Parker Goff. DC rode its 2-0 lead into the top of the fourth, where the Aces responded with a four-run inning that set them on fire for the remainder of the contest. Alexandria continued its run in the sixth inning, where the squad tacked on five more runs. The Grays threw some back at the Aces at the bottom of the eighth, where Nebraska Omahas’ Henry Zipay managed a double, setting up the field for two Grays runs on an error at first and a foul tip, their final two of the evening. Despite the late efforts, the Grays did not succeed in the five-run inning they would have needed in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and the Aces were able to send the home squad packing. LHP from Xavier Kimani Davis took the pitching start for the Grays, and was handed the loss after allowing nine hits over his four innings with the ball. DC also featured Wofford’s Sam Stratton on the mound, who allowed six hits over three innings. The pitching squad combined for 17 allowed hits in Friday’s game, compared to eight for the Aces. The Grays face redemption Saturday night at 4 p.m., where they will take on the Gaithersburg Giants (1-2-0) at Criswell Automotive Field. By Dominic Varela
The D.C. Grays tasted victory for the first time this season on Tuesday night, defeating the Olney Cropdusters 3-1 at the Washington Nationals Youth Academy. Mitchell right-hander Eddie Kaftan picked up the win, tossing eight innings of two-hit, one-run ball. East Stroudsburg’s Alec Snyder was tagged with the loss after conceding two runs in his first start of the year. The Grays struck early, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first thanks to a single from Delaware State’s Evan Bouldin that scored Lafayette’s Kaleb Willis. D.C. tacked on another run in the fourth on another RBI single that pushed Willis across, this time off the bat of BYU’s Parker Goff. Bouldin and Willis each had two hits, with Willis’s seventh inning single scoring the third and final Gray run of the night. The club as a whole managed seven hits and three walks. Kaftan faced the minimum through three before allowing a single in the fourth. The Cropdusters managed to scratch a run across in the top of the fifth, but it was to no avail as Kaftan and William & Mary southpaw Adam Fischer combined to shut them out the rest of the way. “I was just trying to bring in the same mindset and game plan that I had all season, which worked out pretty well,” Kaftan said. “I was able to execute my pitches low in the zone today, so it just rolled right through it. Felt like two quick innings of work.” Despite a pitch count in the 80s through seven innings of work, Kaftan was sent out for the top of the eighth. However, a 1-2-3 inning sealed the 94-pitch effort. “The pitch count wasn’t really on my mind,” Kaftan said. “It felt like my workload was pretty light all day today, so I felt like I was 50 pitches in by the time it was the eighth.” Following a season-opening loss to the Southern Maryland Senators on Monday, the Grays’ record now stands at 1-1. D.C. will face off against the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts Thursday at 7 p.m. at Montgomery Blair Stadium. “I think we’re in great shape going into the next game because our bullpen is nice and rested, and we’ll have our whole team ready to bring some runs, too,” Kaftan said. Washington, D.C - The DC Grays dropped an extra-inning decision to the Southern Maryland Senators on Monday night at the Washington Nationals Youth Academy, falling 6-3 in ten innings in its opening game of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League season.
The game was defined by repeated missed opportunities for the home team, as the Grays failed on several occasions to add to an early lead – and a promising start turned into a late inning heart-breaker. D.C gave the ball to right-hander Diego Barrett (Potomac State). Barrett started off the first inning strong, setting down the Senators in order. The Senators sent out Brendan Wall (UAB) to duel with Barret. Kaleb Willis (Lafayette) led off the first inning for the Grays with a hustling double, as a shallow popup landed in left field. It seemed as if the Grays were in prime position early. Unfortunately, the leadoff double didn’t faze Wall as he retired the next three batters including two swinging strikeouts. The second inning went almost as smoothly as the first for Barrett; he allowed a single, but it didn’t come back to bite him as he got a tailor-made double play ball for a 6-4-3 putout to end the frame. The Grays made some noise in the bottom half of the second as Joe Marini (Catholic) worked a four pitch walk. Wall retired the next two batters, but Marini stole second and a groundout to short by Steve Thomas (Catholic) allowed him to advance to third. With two outs Justin Grech (Lafayette) wasted no time getting Marini home as he attacked the first pitch he saw, sending a hard grounder to third. Grech hustled down the line and a poor throw pulled Senators first sacker Joe Stanzione (Gardner Webb) off the first base bag and gave the D.C Grays an early 1-0 lead. The play rattled Wall as he walked the next batter he faced, and then proceeded to plunk Willis after that. The bases were then loaded for Henry Zipay (Nebraska-Omaha) who couldn’t capitalize – striking out and stranding all three runners. The Grays threatened again in the bottom half of the third. With one out in the inning Evan Bouldin (Delaware State) singled past third base. Bouldin’s single ended Wall’s night, as the Senators brought in Matt Lynch (Towson) for relief. Marini ripped a triple, scoring Bouldin from first. Thomas then hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Marini from third. The Grays took a 3-0 lead heading into the fourth. The Senators answered in the following frame. Brandon Wingenroth (Penn State) doubled, moved to third on a sac fly by Matt Ilgenfritz (Gardner Webb) and scored on sac fly by Patrick Ward (FAU), giving Southern Maryland its first run of the night. Barrett found his groove again and escaped further damage. The Grays managed to load the bases once more in the bottom half of the fifth but were once again thwarted. Justin Naylor came on in relief for the Senators (Cal-Penn) and induced a fly ball to right field off the bat of Willis for the final out of the inning. Sam Stratton (Wofford) came in to pitch the sixth for the Grays ending a solid night for Diego Barrett who only allowed one earned run and struck out six through five innings of work. Disaster struck Stratton and the Grays early however, as Stratton walked Griffith and allowed a single to Ilgenfritz. A sacrifice fly by Mikey Guy (Frostburg State) brought Griffith home, cutting the Gray's led to one. Stanzione then hit a double allowing Ward to score, knotting the game at 3 apiece. The game remained tied through the ninth, thanks to some excellent relief work by Lucky Perroto (Catholic) for the Grays and Naylor for the Senators. In the bottom of the ninth the Grays had another prime opportunity to score and send the Senators packing. Steve Thomas managed to reach second, but was thrown out at third to end the inning – a baserunning blunder that would prove costly. Perrotto struck out the first batter in the tenth. Ilgenfritz then reached first on a single and went to second on a balk by Perrotto. Ward reached on an error – putting runners on the corners with one out. Guy cleared the bases with a long double – giving the visitors their first lead of the night. The Senators tacked on another insurance run to give them a 6-3 lead. Senators closer John Gray (Wofford) shut the door on any hopes that D.C might have had. The Grays will try to break into the win column on Tuesday evening, when they welcome Olney Cropdusters to DC. REVAMPED COACHING STAFF TO LEAD GRAYSThe DC Grays come into the 2023 season with high hopes to improve on last season’s 15-21 campaign – good for sixth place in the Ripken League. The biggest change for the season will come on the Grays coaching staff. The 2023 Grays will feature a new top man in the dugout, as Maurice Bankston takes over for longtime Grays manager Reggie Terry. Terry lead the Grays from 2015-2022, compiling a 108-159 record.
Bankston spent the 2023 spring season as a volunteer Director of Player Development for Georgetown University. His responsibilities included on-campus recruiting in accordance with NCAA rules, practice and competition preparation and analytics/data collection. Prior to his work for the Hoyas, he eight years as a high school pitching coach for St. Albans School in Washington DC, leading the team to a state title and a pair of conference championships. With the Bulldogs, he guided 16 players to the collegiate level. Bankston had a storied playing career. He was chosen in the eighth round of the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft by the Pirates out of Texarkana Junior College and remains the highest draft pick selected out of the NJCAA program. With the Bulldogs in 2007, the soon-to-be Pittsburgh prospect put forth a 7-4 record with a 3.99 ERA in 13 starts across 70.0 innings of work. The fireballer also earned an all-conference selection with Texarkana in 2007. The Arkansas native played six professional seasons, five of which with the Pittsburgh Pirates and one in the Independent League with the Gateway Grizzlies. In his time within the Pirates' organization, the former hurler picked up 10 career wins and 130 strikeouts in 213.2 innings of action. In addition to a new manager, the Grays will have two new assistant coaches. Justin Gomez joins the staff this summer as an assistant coach. In the spring, he is the assistant coach for Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Darrion Smith is another new Grays assistant. Smith is an assistant coach with Xavier University of Louisiana, and prior to that he was a graduate assistant at Georgetown University. Not everything on the coaching staff has changed, however. Our own Mr. DC Baseball, the great Jimmy Williams, returns for his tenth season on the Grays staff. A familiar site in the first base coaching box and behind the cage during batting practice, Williams is a longtime local coach with Prince George’s County Community College. “I like this coaching staff,” said Grays President Mike Barbera. “It’s a great blend of youth and experience. I can’t wait to see how they work with the players.” While the DC Grays coaching staff will be largely new, the Grays 2023 roster will have a more familiar feel. The Grays bring back the highest number of returning players the program has ever had. Nine players will be returning from the 2022 team including three 2022 Ripken League All Stars - RHP Jake Davidson (Kenyon), RHP Kai Cummings (Cabrini), and the Grays 2022 leading hitter INF Henry Zipay (Nebraska/Omaha). Other returning players include LHP Sam Stratton (Wofford), RHP/OF Diego Barrett (Potomac State), RHP Caleb Causey (Mississippi Valley State), 1B/OF Aaron Thomas (Wofford), INF Patrick Vandenberg (Lafayette), and C Mike Mallas (Lafayette). “I am excited to see this roster take the field in 2023.” said Grays General Manager Chris Spera. “Each of the nine returners were significant contributors last summer, and we expect big things from them again this season. In addition, we are bringing highly skilled new players in from our core collegiate programs, as well as from some new programs. Most of these players had starting roles with their college teams.” In addition to the returning pitchers, the 2023 pitching staff will include Kenny Michaels (Wofford), Lucky Perroto (Catholic), Jake Roberti (Louisburg), Elliot Eaton (Princeton), Ryan Wheeler (Alvernia), Zac Dart (BYU), Justin Mentzell (Indian Hills), Eddie Kaftan (Mitchell), Kyle Tyler (Valparaiso), Adam Fischer (William & Mary) and Kimani Davis (Xavier/La.). Infielders new for 2023 include Myles Sargeant (Maine), Joe Marini (Catholic), Evan Bouldin (Delaware St.), Connor Larson (Wofford), Braeden Mondeau (BYU), and Miles Newsome (Brown). Outfielders new for this season include Luke Anderson (BYU), Kaleb Willis (Lafayette), Derrick Mayes (Md/Eastern Shore), Cole Kumpf (Wagner), and Justin Grech (Lafayette). The catchers group, in addition to the returner Mallas, includes Steve Thomas (Catholic) and Parker Goff (BYU). Spera added, “Many of these young men had outstanding spring seasons. To mention just a few, Myles Sargeant from Maine was a regular starter and one of the top hitters on the first place team in the America East conference. Luke Anderson from BYU hit well over .300 all year as a starting OF for the Cougars and teammate Parker Goff started about half of their games at catcher and hit well over .300 in the tough West Coast Conference. Eddie Kaftan leads the NCAA tournament-bound Mitchell Mariners with seven wins. I am looking forward to seeing how the success these players are having in their spring collegiate seasons will transfer over to the Grays.” |
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