Bryce Rudisill (right) celebrates with teammate Ethan McNally after hitting a go-ahead eighth-inning home run. Photo by Maya Brichacek.  

Written by Mahaley Wise

Tuesday night’s game at Shirley Povich Field between the Big Train and the Giants was a celebratory event. The Big Train commemorated Hall of Fame Puerto Rican baseball player Roberto Clemente and held a tribute to Latin Baseball. Every Big Train player wore jersey number 21 to pay homage to the baseball star, Clemente. Different community members were honored at this event, and a mariachi band held a special performance in the third inning. It was a beautiful event that put smiles on many of those in the ballpark and gave the players a sense of pride. Sadly for the home crowd, the Big Train would lose the game in the ninth inning, after the Giants broke the shutout in the eighth and a 1-1 tie in the ninth to win, 2-1.

For seven innings, the Giants and Big Train battled to bring in a run. Balls were sent into the air and caught, double plays were delivered to erase runners, and pitchers served up strikeouts to send batters sulking back to the dugout. The innings went by quietly, one blending into the next, with no runs scored and few moments lingering in memory.

It wasn’t until the top of the eighth inning that the bats woke up, and the fans were suddenly alert. Giants' first baseman Bryce Rudisill (Mount St. Mary’s) came to bat with two outs and no runners on base. The inning seemed to be just like any other, as the previous seven innings had produced no runs. 

Rudisill, with two outs and two strikes, seemed to be the next strikeout victim, but instead he swung his bat with power, making contact with the pitch, sending it up, up, up. The crowd held its breath, hesitant after a game filled with pop flies and near misses. But this time, the ball soared over the right field wall. The Giants' dugout erupted in celebration. Rudisill cupped a hand to his ear, urging the cheers to rise for his clutch hit. As he reached the dugout, the roar was deafening, his teammates met him with hugs and smiles.

But the Big Train fought back, earning the run they had lost and tying the game at 1-1. Brennon Wright (South Alabama) worked a walk, quickly stole second, and made his way to third. He was fired up by how close he was; he just couldn’t wait for his teammate to potentially hit the ball. So, on a wild pitch, he ran for it. The catcher was overwhelmed, lost track of the ball, and Wright made it home safe to even the score. 

Both teams dug deep for a ninth-inning push to break the 1-1 deadlock. The Giants managed to edge ahead with a single run, sparked by Ryan Maxey's (St Johns River State College) walk that put the go-ahead run on first. Aidan Marino followed with a single to put Maxey in scoring position. The Giants' dugout was loud, building the momentum. A single by Brady Powell (Radford) fired up the dugout as Maxey scored the go-ahead run. As Big Train failed to answer in the bottom of the ninth, the Giants held on for a narrow and hard-fought 2-1 victory.