Written by Mahaley Wise

After a back-and-forth first game, the Big Train had a more secure win in the second game of the doubleheader as they swept the set. Bethesda scored an early run in the first inning and kept the Grays scoreless throughout the game. The Big Train overpowered the Grays with strong defense and powerful offense. 

The Big Train battled early to score the first run of the game in the first inning. A wild pitch by Gray's pitcher sent Brennon Wright (South Alabama) home to put Big Train in the lead. Both teams battled out of their second innings unscathed despite opposing baserunners threatening to score. 

The Big Train broke through in the third inning. Loading the bases with one out, a ground out by Josh Skowronski (Winthrop) sent the runner home to advance Big Train’s lead. Matthew Westley worked a walk to load the bases again and put pressure on the Grays. Another walk by Logan Ponnett (UNC) sent the carousel of runners around the bases to score another security run for Big Train, now up 3-0. The Grays squeezed out of the inning with a strikeout and limited damage as Big Train left three runners on base. 

The Grays remained scoreless through the seventh inning as they battled the Big Train pitching. They had runners on in all seven innings but were unable to deliver them home. In total, they left eight runners on base by the seventh inning. In the fifth inning they started to slow down with no runners getting into scoring position and no hits. Trevor Orth (Roanoke), Lucas Marrerro (Lynchburg), and Owen Stewart (George Mason) combined for seven shutout innings on the mound. 

The seventh inning was the last opportunity for the Grays to push a win. Stewart delivered two strikeouts at the start of the frame. However the Grays began to gain traction on the basepaths. Noel Rivera (Marist College) and Sam Moseman (NYU) hit back-to-back singles to put a man in scoring position. The Big Train was able to outmaneuver the Grays with a groundout to catch the runner at second and end the game, 3-0.

The Big Train walked away with two wins in Sunday morning’s doubleheader. They now lead the North Division by 4.5 games over the second-place Cropdusters.