Bolts Languish Another Lead to Senators, Fall 7-6 at Blair
SILVER SPRING, JULY 16—For the third time this season, the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (11-24) suffered a heart-wrenching loss to the Southern Maryland Senators (21-13). The TBolts took an early 4-0 lead, but the Sens labeled themselves as the comeback kids last night at Blair.
On the mound, Emilio Rodriguez (La Salle) made his second start of the summer for Silver Spring-Takoma. The righty was diligent through four innings, and it started with a quick one-two-three first.
For Southern Maryland, Bryce Palms (Youngstown State) palmed the ball on the bump for the seventh time this summer. Center-fielder Gabe Pegues (Lynchburg) worked a leadoff walk, and stole his 19th base of the season. After a grounder moved him to third, Pegues trotted in and scored off a Palms balk. Yet again, Pegues found a way to travel from first to home without any hits to help him.
E-Rod got his second inning started by fanning Zachary Anderson (Binghamton) with a fastball. After a single by Jack Euart (Wofford), the TBolts turned a terrific 3-6-3 double play. Connor Frickey (Babson) fielded a chopper in the 3-4 hole, and slung it to shortstop Colin Gibbs (Delaware) for the force at second. Gibbs then fired it to Frickey who hustled back to first to make the catch.
In the third, Rodriguez repped his rocket once more to retire Cole Rhame (Richmond) swinging. With runners on second and third, E-Rod collected a popout right in front of the mound to put things away.
In the bottom half, the TBolts loaded the bags with two walks and a single. Caleb Sturtevant (Millersville) stifled a line drive off the glove of third baseman Jackson Hays (Yale), which drove in the second run of the game. Later, Joey King (St. Olaf) smacked an RBI single, and Cam Baker (Indian River St.) cooked a sac fly to center. At the end of three, the Thunderbolts led 4-0.
With two outs in the fifth, Rhame rifled a two-run homer to left-center to cut the lead in half. This demoralizing dinger officially ended E-Rod’s day on the mound. In total, the righty allowed three hits, issued six walks, and struck out five through four and two-thirds innings.
Palms remained in for the fifth, and Sturtevant immediately stacked a double off him to left-center field. This gave way for Dawson Wertherald (Mount Aloysius) to make his 12th relief appearance for the Sens. In total, the righty hurled two innings while allowing just one hit.
Southern Maryland juiced the bags in the sixth inning, and Chase Fulford (Binghamton) drove in a run off a fielder’s choice. Thereafter, Rhame chopped a slow single up the middle to plate two more runs. To end the chaos, catcher Kai Schmelzer (Gulf Coast State) sent down the Sens with an assist to second on a stolen base attempt. Still, Southern Maryland stormed past the Thunderbolts to take a 5-4 lead.
In the bottom half of the sixth, the TBolts and Senators had a clash between Kai’s. Schmelzer smoked a ball the opposite way, but right-fielder Kai Lwin (Florida Atlantic) made a sliding catch to end the inning.
In the bottom of the seventh, Pegues banged a double off the left-center field wall for his second hit of the game. Chet Kosnar (Franklin & Marshall) came in to relieve Wetherald, and the righty escaped a giant jam. With runners on the corners and no outs, Kosner collected three consecutive strikeouts to end the inning.
For Southern Maryland, Kosnar came through with a dirty play to record the first out of the eighth. The pitcher fielded a Collin Gibbs squibber, sprinted to first, and dived onto the bag to beat him out. Eventually, Kosner was replaced by Gabriel Rodriguez (Bethany Lutheran). Much like the Kai clash, one Gabriel said hello to the other. Pegues roped a double to left off Rodriguez, and it scored two TBolts runs. A Blair Stadium crowd of 120 was sent into a frenzy as the TBolts regained a 6-5 lead.
The TBolts were in business to seal the deal in the ninth inning. In a save situation, pitcher Matthew Calabrese (Rider) forced two quick Senators groundouts. With the Blair crowd on their feet, Ethan Adams (Georgia State) fell behind in an 0-2 count. But alas, Southern Maryland refused to quit. Adams kept battling to stay alive, and eventually worked the count full. Reminiscent of the Rahm RBI, the righty chopped a slow single up the middle to tie it at 6-6. Fulford then looped a clutch single of his own to right, and the Sens took a 7-6 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Thunderbolts failed to register any type of rally. The Senators held on for their 21st win of 2026, while the TBolts suffered another heartbreaker.
In this 7-6 rollercoaster, the Senators had 12 hits, drew 9 walks, and struck out eight TBolts. Conversely, Silver Spring-Takoma had eight hits, drew six walks, and also struck out eight. Once again, the Thunderbolts built a marginal lead over Southern Maryland and lost it in dramatic fashion; this is the third time the Senators have come back to defeat the Thunderbolts by one run this summer.
The Thunderbolts are back in action tonight at Blair Stadium to face the Gaithersburg Giants at 7 P.M.