Thunderbolts Hope To Fight The Braves Free Of Rainfall Tonight At Home

SILVER SPRING, JUNE 12—The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (1-5) have gone through a soaking wet slate of games these past couple of days. On Wednesday, their game against the Alexandria Aces was rescheduled due to stormy weather in Silver Spring. Last night, the TBolts had a 6-1 lead over Bethesda in the fourth inning before the game was suspended due to dark clouds and a dreadful drizzle dawning over Blair Stadium.

Tonight, the Thunderbolts will need to pour an offensive outburst onto the Metro South County Braves (5-2), who currently sit in first place in the South division standings. Much like the Thunderbolts, Metro SoCo’s game against the DC Grays last night was suspended in the seventh inning due to inclement weather in Lorton, VA.

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Christopher Krese Jr. has been a key catalyst for the Braves offense in 2026.

After losing their first two games of the season, the Braves have been rolling with a five game win streak. They currently rank second in the Ripken League with 70 hits, and their relief pitching has come through with three saves on the season. Christopher Krese Jr. (Sr., Stevens) is a Brave who has been swinging a hot bat this summer. The infielder is 9-20 with two RBIs and eight walks. Robert Kelly (Jr., Monmouth) has also been rock solid with a .400 average, seven RBI’s, and two doubles.

Krese and Kelly will face Christian Dray (So., Richmond), who is making his second start of 2026. In his first outing of the summer, Dray dazzled against the DC Grays. The righty rifled three strikeouts, allowed three hits, and worked a shutout in three innings. The Braves are susceptible to flyouts, as they have a Ripken League-leading 69 on the season. With Dray’s early-90s fastball, Braves batters may get under the ball a bit much if he places it high in the zone.

Christian Dray is primed to make his first start at Blair Baseball Stadium this season.

Head Coach Brock Hunter has emphasized how it is ideal for the Thunderbolts to use a maximum of four relievers throughout their games. The TBolts have shown that when they commit multiple errors, it begins to pile up the relievers’ pitch count. Last night, Brady Grimes pitched four solid innings and the defense committed zero errors through their seven putouts. If the defense tightens up, Silver Spring-Takoma’s relief pitching will be in prime position for success.

The second Dray day of 2026 begins at 7 P.M. tonight at Blair Baseball Stadium. For those who can’t attend, Peter Kelly and Patrick Moran will be on the call on the Thunderbolts YouTube channel providing live play-by-play action.