Written by Mahaley Wise

A rainy Sunday in Bethesda did not put a damper on Big Train’s offensive power as they hosted the Braves. Despite the Braves early lead and strong attempts to come back, Bethesda Big Train fought them off and captured a big 14-4 win.

The Braves didn’t waste any time scoring runs in the first inning. The game started off with a single by Sam Grube (Mt St Mary’s) who eagerly made it all the way to third on a wild pitch and stolen base. He was sent home by a double from Trent Adleman (VCU), who fit the ball perfectly in the left-center field gap. The Big Train saved another run with quick thinking and good fielding by first baseman Emilio Gonzalez (Florida Atlantic), who fielded a ground ball and immediately threw home to get Franklin Gomez Jr. (Fairleigh Dickinson Teaneck) out. They worked their way out of the inning with limited damage, trailing just 1-0. 

Bethesda showed off their strong defensive abilities in the top of the second, with a diving catch by center fielder Alex Peltier (East Carolina) and two ground ball outs. Only three batters made appearances for the Braves, with no runs scored. 

Big Train began to show off their offensive talents too in the bottom of the second with back-to-back walks by Peyton Steele (Alabama) and Matthew Westley followed by a double by Gonzalez to tie the score at 1-1. Big Train rolled full steam ahead, scoring two more runs off a sacrifice fly by Jacob Hauk and a single by Peltier. Another sacrifice fly by John Martinez (Florida Atlantic) got Big Train their fourth run of the inning. Logan Ponett (UNC Charlotte) sent a ball to the fence just falling short for a double and allowing Steele to score. The Braves worked their way out of the inning with a pop up caught by the pitcher but not before the damage was done, with the Big Train now leading 6-1. 

The Braves began to mount their comeback attempt with a walk by Walker followed by three back-to-back singles from Gomez, Nich Francuzenko (Towson), and Adleman to earn their first run of the inning. A double by Charlie Brinkman (Liberty) sent two more runners home, making a deep cut into the Big Train lead but still trailing 6-4.  

Bethesda continued to build security on to their lead. They scored an extra run in the bottom of the sixth off a single from Martinez that sent Peltier home. In the seventh, they continued to expand their lead with two more runs. Brett Ott (Sacramento State) grounded out to send Steele home. Jacob Hauk (Maryland) followed with a single to send Gonzalez home giving them a five run lead. 

The Big Train ran away with it in the bottom of the eighth, scoring five runs on top of their already advanced lead. Brennan Wright (South Alabama) started with a double to right field followed by a hit by pitch to Martinez. Ponnett hit an extraordinary home run over the high center field wall to earn three extra runs, making it 12-4. Steele and Parker Corbin (Maryland College Park hit back-to-back doubles to get another earned run. Peltier hit a single for the final run of the inning. The game finished with a 14-4 score in favor of the home team. 

It was a big win for Bethesda, who are currently at the bottom of their division. “The guys competed, made adjustments when needed at the plate and on the bump. It was a total team effort. They’re a good team and they’ve been playing well,” commented Coach Sal Colangelo. 

“We are going to be physical, we are going to be exciting, and we are going to play the game right and have some fun,” Colangelo responded when asked what fans could expect from the team in the future. On Monday they play the Grays on the road while the Braves go home to play against the Cropdusters.