TBolts Get Slammed By Olney In Tight 6-4 Loss, Will Have A 10 A.M. Sunday Morning Big Train To Catch In Bethesda
BETHESDA, JUNE 14—The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (1-6) took a tight 6-4 defeat to the Olney Cropdusters (4-4) last night at OBGC Park. This is one of the strongest defensive games the TBolts have played all season, but a couple of unfortunate plays handed them their sixth loss of the season. Here’s a recap of last night’s action, and a preview of what it is to come in a few hours.
In his first start of the summer, Zach Bortner (So., Frederick CC) pitched four innings, gave up five walks, and struck out three Cropdusters. Jona Acosta (So., North Florida) cracked things open for the TBolt offense with an RBI single in the second inning.
After taking a 1-0 lead, the TBolts suffered from crushing plays that cost them the lead. Olney nodded it up at 1-1 after scoring off of a balk in the third inning. After three innings of scoreless baseball, Patrick Godzan (Jr., West Chester) cranked a grand slam to deep left field in the sixth inning. For those who remember, Cade Walter (Fr., Jacksonville) walloped a grand slam at Blair on June 4 during Olney’s 25-1 blowout over the TBolts. As Yogi Berra would say, “it’s déjà vu all over again.”
With runners on second and third, Nolan Kutney (Gr., UMBC) connected on a 2 RBI single in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-3. The Cropdusters weathered the storm by hosing down Silver Spring-Takoma on a stolen base attempt. This electric assist disrupted the Thunderbolts’ momentum, and Olney escaped any further trouble in the seventh.
Wade Hartrick (So., U Chicago) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, which included two strikeouts swinging. On the night, Hartrick had four strikeouts and allowed just one hit for the TBolts.
Griffin Puvel (Sr., Rider) registered an RBI groundout in the eighth to cut the lead down to 5-4. However, Gozdan dotted an RBI single in the eighth to put the nail in the coffin. After a Colin Gibbs (Jr., Maryland) single in the ninth, the TBolts grounded into a double play, and finally struck out to end the game.
Ultimately, the Thunderbolts outhit the Cropdusters by five, but the Godzan grand slam gashed the close score. Both teams committed zero errors, and Silver Spring-Takma struck out 10 Cropdusters. Overall, the Thunderbolts did a solid job of getting on base, but could not capitalize on every opportunity needed to pull out the win.
At 10 A.M., the Thunderbolts will play the Bethesda Big Train (4-3). In the battle of the beltway, Bethesda is currently 2-0 against the Thunderbolts this summer. Big Train walked off the TBolts in a 12-11 home win on June 2, and dominated in a 27-13 win at Blair Stadium on June 7.
With that being said, the Thunderbolts were brewing up a storm at Blair when these two last met on Thursday. Through four innings, Silver Spring-Takoma took a commanding 6-1 lead. Kutney and Gabriel Pegues (So., Lynchburg) both sizzled RBI singles in the first inning, which were followed by Puvel and Kai Schmelzer (Fr., Gulf Coast State) RBI knocks in the third.
Brady Grimes (Jr., Millersville) was also off to a masterful start on the mound. After four innings, the righty allowed four hits, issued one walk and had one earned run tagged to his name. Above all, Grimes delivered five strikeouts, and was running over Big Train batters left and right.
Sadly, this game was postponed due to rainy conditions in Silver Spring, and will be continued at a later date. If the TBolts want to keep it rolling against Big Train, they will need to tighten up defensively the same way they did against Olney last night. Big Train currently leads the Ripken League with 24 extra base hits, so TBolt pitching will have to remain laser focused in this early morning matchup.
For Bethesda, 2025 Ripken League MVP Emilio Gonzalez (Sr., Nova Southeastern) is always a big name to look out for. Will Haacke (So., James Madison) is also a dangerous weapon for Bethesda; Haacke had a highlight bases clearing triple at Blair Stadium on June 7.
For Silver Spring-Takoma, Colin Gibbs and Connor Frickey (Sr., Babson) are both coming off three-hit performances against Olney. Gabriel Pegues also went 2-4 with a walk yesterday, and has been a reliable bat for the TBolts all summer.
First pitch will be at 10 A.M. at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda. For those who can’t attend, be sure to tune into the Thunderbolts YouTube channel; Peter Kelly and Patrick Moran will provide play-by-play coverage of all the action.