TBolts Take On Cropdusters Tonight With Fair Weather In The Forecast
OLNEY, JUNE 13—Okay, let’s try this again.
The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (1-5) will—finger’s crossed—face the Olney Cropdusters (3-4) tonight for the second time this season. The Thunderbolts look to play a complete game of baseball for the first time since Tuesday, where they lost 10-3 to the Gaithersburg Giants. Yesterday’s game between the TBolts and Metro SoCo Braves (5-2) was postponed following two innings of scoreless action. After a lightning storm littered the field at Blair Stadium, General Manager Dick O’Connor and Head Coach Brock Hunter deemed the surface unplayable.
On June 4, Olney erupted for an infamous 25-1 win at Blair Stadium. In this game, the Cropdusters posted an imposing 14-run fourth inning. They also crushed six extra-base hits, which included a grand slam in the second. The game ended after seven innings due to the Ripken League mercy rule.
Logan Barratta (So., Jacksonville) is a player the TBolts need to beware of. On June 4, Barratta went 2-5 with six RBIs and two walks. On the season, he is batting .400 and leads the Ripken League with 10 RBI’s.
For the Thunderbolts, Colin Gibbs (Jr., Maryland) is an exciting new addition to look out for. After his hot start, David Vozzo (Jr., Moravian) is unfortunately out for the summer with a back injury. Gibbs, who has 15 RBI’s in his college career, has come in to fill Vozzo’s void in the infield. Although the game was short-lived, Gibbs made a silky 6-3 putout at shortstop against the Braves last night.
The Cropdusters have an excellent defensive core, and have committed the least amount of errors in the Ripken League with five. On the flip side, the TBolts have conceded the most errors with 26; Silver Spring-Takoma committed six errors the last time these two teams met. In addition, Olney players were hit by a pitch eight times and drew 10 total walks. Composure will be key if the TBolt pitching wants to blow away the Cropdusters.
Tonight, Olney will have home field advantage at OBGC Park; the Cropdusters are 2-3 at home this season. The Thunderbolts’ last three games have been either cancelled or postponed due to stormy weather, but tonight’s forecast in Olney looks promising. The weather during first pitch will be 85 degrees and cloudy, and it does not seem that rain will rinse the field. Then again, mother nature has a mind of her own, so don’t take my word for it.
Tonight’s starting pitcher for the Thunderbolts will be Zach Bortner (So., Frederick CC). Bortner makes his TBolts season debut after pitching 9.1 innings last spring at Frederick. The lefty notched nine K’s and gave up 18 hits in his 2026 campaign.
First pitch will be at 7 p.m. tonight at First Responder Field at OBGC Park. Brian Alves and Patrick Moran will have the call tonight on the Thunderbolts’ radio style broadcast.