Written by Mahaley Wise

Thursday night’s game between the Olney Cropdusters and Bethesda Big Train was filled with upsets, strikeouts, and errors. Despite the setbacks, both teams managed to score, battle back, and apply pressure on the basepaths. Ultimately, Bethesda came out on top, 5-3, showcasing dominant pitching and aggressive, effective baserunning.

The Big Train struck in the first inning, loading the bases. A routine fly out resulted in a run by Alex Peltier (East Carolina) when the Cropdusters’ left fielder made an unexpected error. The Cropdusters managed to get out of the inning with an impressive jumping catch and tag by the first baseman for the last out. 

The Cropdusters soared in the second inning, taking advantage of Big Train’s defensive struggles. Austin Stalker (West Chester) was the first to score off an error by the third baseman. Angel Santiago Cruz (Richmond) followed with another run during a wild pitch, making it 2-1. 

But Big Train pitcher Cole Ketchum (Mississippi), kept the Cropdusters grounded, and they scored no runs in the following 4.2 innings. “Spectacular,” coach Sal Colangelo used this one word to describe Ketchum’s outing. “Emotions were high, adrenaline was flowing. But he stayed calm. It just shows the character of the kid.” He produced six strikeouts during his time on the mound. 

The Big Train tied the game in the fourth inning. Parker Corbin (Maryland) came home on a single by Peltier. But, the Cropdusters limited the damage by gaining the final out on a groundout.

The tie was broken by Big Train. An opportunity was created with a stolen base by Emillio Gonzalez (Florida Atlantic), bringing a runner into scoring position. Matthew Westley capitalized on this opportunity with a double to bring the runner home. At the end of the fifth inning, Big Train led with a score of 3-2. 

Bethesda continued to extend their lead in the sixth, starting with a double off the scoreboard by Peltier, followed by a single up the middle by Peyton Steele (Alabama) to score the run. The Cropdusters were held off the scoreboard until the seventh, when a lead-off walk from Parker Redden (Indianapolis) was brought home by Brian Scott (Frostburg), making it 4-3 Bethesda. 

The Cropdusters squashed another potential earned run for Big Train in the seventh when they caught a runner between third and home in a pickle. However, they headed into the ninth still trailing 5-3, after Big Train added another run in the eighth on a leadoff double by Peltier and a sacrifice fly by Steele. 

Big Train pitcher Adekide Adetuyi (Florida Atlantic) delivered three back-to-back strikeouts to close out the game, shutting down the Cropdusters dreams of a win.

The Big Train battled fiercely, consistently shutting down the Cropdusters’ attempts to get hits and score runs.“We hung in there. We competed. We fought back and we fought back. We practiced the fundamentals and when you do that good things happen,” said Colangelo

“Just great effort. Compete everyday. Compete every pitch. Compete every play,” he said when asked about his expectations for the team in the future.

The Big Train will be at home Friday night to compete against the Senators while the Cropdusters return home to match up against the Aces