Written by Erin Hughes

The Alexandria Aces swept the D.C. Grays in a Tuesday night doubleheader in Woodbridge. During the first game, the Aces pulled out a 3-2 victory powered by Cooper Hums’ (Western Michigan) first home run of the season. 

In the second game, a leadoff walk to Hums was quickly erased when Grays catcher Ayden Ellis (Rutgers) caught him stealing second. John Colligan (Ball State) singled and before Colin Casey (Randolph-Macon) fanned a batter. Ernie Echevarria (Penn) was hit by a pitch and Colligan stole third to put the Aces’ first run 90 feet away. A single from DJ Scheumann (Ball State) scored Colligan, and Echevarria stole home to give the Aces an early 2-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the first, Ryan Soong (WashU) drew a one-out walk before he stole second for his 30th bag of the season and the Grays’ 100th. Tanner Wolpert (Franklin & Marshall) singled, and Joe Marini (Catholic) doubled Soong home. The next batter struck out swinging, but Noel Rivera (Marist) doubled to score Wolpert and Marini, as the Grays went ahead 3-2.

The top of the second was quiet as Casey kept the Aces scoreless. The Grays had runners on second and third in the home half of the inning, but could not capitalize as Jack Couture (Haverford) got the last two batters to pop up and end the inning.

In the top of the third, Colligan scored on a single from Echevarria to tie the game, but the inning was highlighted by a 7-6-4 double play that ended the frame.

Nate Lake (Shippensburg) entered in relief of Couture during the bottom of the third. Lake allowed just two baserunners for the rest of the game, both on walks, and struck out five batters to record the win.

Andrew Ruggeri (Penn) came in to relieve Casey in the fifth and fanned the first batter he faced. The next batter grounded out before Scheumann drew a walk. EJ Hankerson (Maryland) doubled off of the center field wall to plate Scheumann and take the lead back for the Aces. An RBI single by Michael Powell (Penn) drove in Hankerson as the Aces extended their lead to 5-3. 

The Aces added five runs in the sixth off of two walks, a single, and an error. Brayden Huebner (Ball State), Hums, Derek Almeda (Chaffey), Echevarria, and Scheumann all crossed home for the Aces to lead 10-3. Lake pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth to send the Alexandria offense back to the plate.

In the top of the seventh, the Aces added four runs on a wild pitch, a hit by pitch, a single, and a passed ball. Colligan, Michael Kitko (Slippery Rock), Echevarria, and Schuemann scored to put the Aces up 14-3. Lake’s bottom of the seventh saw his second baserunner allowed as he fanned a batter en route to the victory. The Aces now hold a three-game lead in the South Division with a week left to go in the regular season.