Written by Mahaley Wise

The Cropdusters flew away with Saturday night’s game as they shut down the Senators 13-1, by run rule, in the seventh inning. Olney had strong pitching, clutch defense, and power hitting. It was a thrilling ride for the Cropdusters as they scored big and flew high on their three-game winning streak. 

The Cropdusters jumped out early, trying to take the game against the division-leading Senators. They scored one run in the first inning, starting with a hit by pitch to Cade Walter (Jacksonville). Jimmy Kirk (Millersville) followed with a double to the left field wall to score Walter. Despite two men in scoring position, the Cropdusters failed to tack on more runs, but still held a 1-0 lead. 

“We talked about coming out strong, I think the guys did a good job, our pitcher did awesome,” said Cropduster Head Coach Adam Leader.

The Senators found their first man in scoring position in the third inning. They were able to capitalize on the situation with a double by Adam Troch (Duke), sending baserunner Jack Euart (Wofford), who advanced on a walk, home. The game was now locked in a tie, 1-1. 

Ryan O’Born (Indianapolis) dominated on the mound, keeping the Senators down and off the bases. Ben Berger (Frostburg) came in for him in the fourth and continued the strong performance, shutting down any chances the Senators had to keep them scoreless for the next three innings.

The tie was broken after the Cropdusters loaded the bases in the fifth inning. Walter advanced on a walk. Zayke Hawkins (Utah) followed him on base, moving on an error by the third baseman. Kirk walked to load the bases. Carter Richey (VCU) followed the trend, advancing on a walk and rotating the wheel of runners around the bases, giving Cropdusters the lead. The Cropdusters kept the momentum moving as Ayden Stalker (West Chester) hit a double to score Hawkins and Kirk. Koy Swanson (Gaston) scored Richey with a sacrifice fly ball. The Cropdusters came away with four extra runs from the inning to make the score 5-1.

Olney moved into another bases-loaded situation in the sixth inning after a hit by pitch and two walks. Kirk came to bat and singled, sending the players looping around the bases with Walter scoring a run. Richey struck another single to bring Hawkins and Will Henson (VCU) home. 

“Emotionally, I try to stay excited and pumped up. The game of baseball is a weird one; you can be up by eight and lose the game,” Leader said about the emotions surrounding the various scoring moments throughout the game.

In the seventh inning, the Cropdusters rallied until they shut the game down. Swanson, Brian Scott (Frostburg), and Walter loaded the bases. Henson was let go on a walk, and put the runners in rotation to score Swanson. The momentum continued as Ayden Stalker delivered the play of the game with a double to bring in Walter, Henson, and Richey in order. The offensive surge made the game unrecoverable for the Senators with a score of 13-1, ending the game on the league run rule. 

“It’s a great win, we have had a lot of trouble against this team,” said the Leader when asked about how he felt about the win. “We are just kind of climbing this ladder a little bit at a time. Guys are just continuing to get better, and I think they are having a good time. And it's good to let them have a good time by taking a bit of the pressure off.