BIG TRAIN STEAL A WIN AFTER PROLONGED WAIT TO FINISH GAME AGAINST T-BOLTS
By Patrick Moran
SS-T Thunderbolts
SILVER SPRING, JUNE 24- What a wild way to start off a great day for baseball. The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (4-12) and the Bethesda Bug Train (10-7) had to wait 13 days to complete one baseball game, and the Big Train ended up taking it 11-8.
Gabe Pegues racked up five hits in this game and saw action in both right and center field.
The Big Train got the scoring started on June 11 as Daniel Machado (So., FAU) drove in Brennon Wright (Sr., U of South Alabama) on an RBI single, but he made a mental error on the basepaths and got picked off shortly after. This was huge for starter Brady Grimes (Jr., Millersville) to manage traffic, and got a popout on the next pitch to end the top half of the inning.
In response to the Big Train striking first, the T-Bolts put up four runs in their first offensive chance. Lefty Charlie Hoagland (So., ECU) toed the slab for Bethesda and was immediately put to work.
Second baseman Jona Acosta (So., NFU) led off the bottom half of the inning with a walk and centerfielder Caleb Sturtevant (Sr., Millersville) singled. Acosta was then singled home by right fielder Gabriel Pegues (So., Lynchburg).
First Baseman Nolan Kutney (Sr., UMBC) followed that up by dumping an RBI single into center field, scoring a hustling Sturtevant from second base. Pegues kept the pedal to the medal and grabbed third after almost getting picked off, and Kutney took second as a result. Back to back RBI groundouts by new kid on the block Cameron Baker (Jr., Indian River) and second year T-Bolt DH Griffin Puvel (Sr., Rider).
Things quickly calmed down as both teams traded zeros in the second. Grimes only faced four hitters and allowed just one hit and Hoagland set the Bolts down 1-2-3 featuring a glove show from Big Train second baseman Julius Bagneries (So., GMU).
Bagneries led off the top of the third with a double but Grimes immediately shut any rally down, picking up a strikeout and he got some help from left fielder Cameron Baker who had a nice running grab on Brennon Wright.
Gabriel Pegues continued to be aggressive on the basepaths by picking up a leadoff hustle triple. Kutney drew a walk which set up a Griffin Puvel RBI double over the head of Big Train right fielder Zachary Malvasio (So., UCF). By this point, the T-Bolts had a commanding 5-1 lead.
Ultimately, Hoagland was unable to escape the third, as he threw 2.2 innings with four walks and three strikeouts and threw 72 pitches total, 40 of which were strikes. Jordan Capuano (Youngstown St.), the right hander who came in to relieve Hoagland, was greeted rudely in short order.
T-Bolts’ backstop Kai Schmeizer (Fr., Gulf Coast State) picked up an RBI single to make it 6-1. Capuano finished the inning, but allowed an inherited runner to score. Hoagland’s final line featured six runs, five of which were earned.
Brady Grimes produced four great innings in his second start of the summer
If Bethesda was looking to rally, Grimes wasn’t giving them an inch. He tossed another scoreless frame facing the minimum. His day ended with four innings, four hits, one earned run, one walk and five strikeouts while retiring six hitters in a row.
The game was picked up on June 24, and the Bolts offense didn’t miss a beat. First baseman Connor Frickey (Jr., Babson), who subbed into the game for Caleb Sturtevant amidst a defensive shuffle, walked followed by centerfielder Gabe Pegues (So., U of Lynchburg) smacking a single which advanced Frickey to third. Pegues stole second, but Big Train righty Austin Monahan (Jr., FL South West) worked around the threat without allowing a run.
Right-hander Matthew Calabrese (So., Frederick CC) relieved Grimes out of the bullpen for the T-Bolts and after a strikeout gave up back-to-back hits to Bethesda’s catcher TJ Gramesty (Jr., FAU) on a double and second baseman Julius Bagneris.. Third baseman Logan Ponnett (So., GMU) piggybacked off the fellow Patriot and drove in a run of his own to cut the lead in half to 6-3.
In an effort to respond to the Big Train’s run output, Bolts third baseman Sam Camacho Jr. (So., Clarion) pounded a single and catcher Kai Schmelzer walked to put two runners on base. New right fielder Jona Acosta grounded into a fielder’s choice to keep the situation the same. Conner Frickey had a walk of his own to load the bases, but Monahan had to be pulled due to injury concerns.
Joseph Chiarodo (So., Alabama) entered as high pressure a situation as possible out of the bullpen for the Big Train. With Monahan’s scoreless streak on the line, Chiarodo walked back-to-back hitters in Gabe Pegues and second baseman Nolan Kutney walked to make it 8-3.
Monahan tossed 1.2 innings with two hits, two earned runs, three walks and three strikeouts once the book closed on his statline.
The Big Train immediately pounced on the T-Bolts in the top of the sixth. First baseman and reigning Most Outstanding of the Ripken League Emilio Gonzalez (Sr., NSU) singled and stole second base leading to left fielder Cal Johnson (Jr., UMD) homered the opposite way bringing Bethesda within striking distance at 8-5.
After a walk to T.J. Gramesty, Calabrese’s day was done after 1.2 innings of five hit, five run (four earned run) baseball with one walk and three strikeouts. The Bolts called upon righty E.J. Youngling (Jr. Moravian) to right the ship, and he got them out of the inning. After one more run came in to make it 8-6 shortstop Collin Gibbs (Jr., U of Delaware) made a huge throw to the plate to cut down Julius Bagnerese trying to score.
It was a quiet bottom of the sixth for the T-Bolts, but the Big Train bats went right back to making noise in the seventh. Shortstop Daniel Machado started the inning with a single and stole second so center fielder Will Haacke (So., JMU) could bring him home on a single. Right fielder Zachary Malvasio also singled to put Haacke on third base, and Cal Johnson struck again with a sac fly, tying up the game 8-8.
Jona Acosta continues to make a difference in so many ways on the field for the T-Bolts.
Things got interesting in the bottom half of the inning, as the T-Bolts loaded the bases and had a prime opportunity to retake the lead. Jona Acosta walked and both Connor Frickey and Gabe Pegues singled but the threat was snuffed out by Chiarodo.
Bethesda broke the tie as Julius Bagnerise drew a four-pitch walk and Logan Ponnett hit a single to set up a two-RBI single for Emilio Gonzalez as the Big Train took their first lead of the game, 10-8.
Joseph Chiarodo served as a very important bridge man in this game, throwing 2.1 innings while allowing two hits, no runs, three walks, and striking out four.
Since they had the lead in hand, the Big Train called upon a weapon out of the bullpen. Righty Kyzer Smith (Sr., FAU), who has thrown fourteen innings in five appearances to the tune of a .64 ERA, shut things down which is what he’s done all summer long so far.
Cal Johnson doubled to start the top of the ninth, and the Big Train immediately fed off of it. Johnson stole third and TJ Gramesty walked, which prompted the Bolts to lift Youngling for Josh Erd. Gramesty stole a base of his own and Julius Bagnerese plated him with an RBI single for a huge insurance run. In the process, Gramesty was thrown out at third by Jona Acosta in right field.
Jona Acosta smashed a double to start a rally in the bottom of the ninth, and was driven in by Gabe Pegues, but that was all she wrote. The Big Train closed it out on the back of Kyzer Smith’s two inning, two hit, one earned run, two strikeout save and snatched the win from the T-Bolts, who led 6-1 at one point.
E.J. Youngling was tagged with the loss after throwing 2.1 innings with seven hits, five earned runs, one walk, and three strikeouts, dropping his record to 0-1. Joseph Chiarodo got the win, improving his record to 1-0. Bethesda scored 11 runs with 17 hits while the Bolts scored nine runs on 12 hits.