Written by Mahaley Wise

Monday night’s matchup between the Cropdusters and Braves delivered clutch plays, explosive drama, and powerful offense. The Cropdusters jumped out to an early lead in the first inning but nearly lost their edge before securing the game-winning run in the ninth on a sacrifice fly.

The Cropdusters struck early in the first inning, aiming to run away with it and win the game. First up, Koy Swanson (Gaston) smashed a double to right field in front of the wall. He advanced to third and scored the first run on back-to-back groundouts by Cade Walter (Jacksonville) and Luke Keefer (Maryland). Rohne Klein (University of Utah) singled and Will Henson (VCU) followed with a ball off the left field wall, scoring Klein for the second run of the game. The Braves worked their way out of the inning by catching a runner stealing at second. 

The Cropdusters continued to battle in the second inning with a single and a stolen base by by RJ Cromartie (Notre Dame), who was sent home by a single from Cadeyrn Ahearn (Lehigh University). Ahmaad Duff (Alabama) made it to first on a single. Swanson followed his impressive double in the first inning with a home run to score two more runs. The Cropdusters ended in the second inning with a commanding 6-0 lead. 

The Braves failed to score any runs in the first two innings but turned things around in the third. A rotation of walks with the bases sent Ryan Santangelo (Bryant) and Sam Grube (Mt St Mary’s) home, putting a dent in the Cropdusters' lead. The Cropdusters gained security in the top of the fourth with back-to-back walks by Walter and Keefer. The runners attempted a double steal, with Walter shuffling home before Keefer was caught in a pickle for the last out, making the score 7-2. 

Connor Doherty hit a no-doubter over the left field wall for the Braves in the bottom of the fourth to make it 7-3. They were unable to do any more damage in the inning as the team continued to trail behind the Cropdusters. In the sixth inning, they took another chance to even the score. Errors by the Cropduster defense allowed runners to advance. Doherty scored the first run of the inning after advancing to first on a hit by pitch and coming in on a ground out. Franklin Gomez Jr. followed with a hard hit ball to the outfield gap to bring in another runner, Santangelo. Gomez Jr. got his turn to score after a passed ball by the Cropdusters catcher, cutting the Olney lead to just 7-6. 

The Braves tied the game in the eighth inning with a shot to right field by Walker Bazile (Houston Christian) to send Michael Lavanga (Harford CC) home. 

“We got into a huddle and talked about bringing the energy back up,” said Coach Adam Leader about the tense moment. “We gotta get the energy back up, get guys on base and them moving around,” he said to his team. 

The Cropdusters clinched the win as Klein lifted a sacrifice fly to center field in the top of the ninth, bringing Walter home for the game-winning run. “Games like this really make teams better,” commented Leader. “This is a great learning experience for the guys, and knowing that we are never out of the game."