Written by Jack Stashower

The Bethesda Big Train defeated the Gaithersburg Giants 8-5 on Friday at Criswell Automotive Field, snapping the Giants’ seven-game winning streak. 

The Big Train’s last game was a 2-1 defeat to the Giants at home on Tuesday. The Giants’ last game came against the Grays in Woodbridge, VA, where they won 7-4 on Thursday. Both teams entered this game with 8-2 records in their last 10 games.

The Giants opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first off of a bases loaded wild pitch that brought home former hitter of the week Nate Hawton-Henley (Maryland), giving the Giants an early 1-0 lead. 

In the bottom of the second, rather than scoring a run, Hawton-Henley drove one in instead, singling to right and bringing home Zach White (Lousiana Monroe) to increase the Giants lead to two.

The Big Train bats came to life in the top of the fourth. After a walk and two singles loaded up the bases with no outs, an erroneous throw by the Giants second baseman brought home both Josh Skowronski (Winthrop) and Emilio Gonzalez (Florida Atlantic) to tie the game. Matthew Westley broke the tie with a single up the middle, scoring John Martinez (Florida Atlantic). 

It wouldn’t take long for the Giants to equalize the game. A wide throw by the Big Train catcher brought home Henley from second for his second run of the game and the Giants third. The tie was short-lived, as Skowronski came home on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth to regain Bethesda’s lead at 4-3.

The lead would change yet again in the bottom of the fifth. A bases loaded walk with White at the plate brought home Bryce Rudisill (Mount St Mary’s) from third to tie the game. On the very next at bat, Aidan Marino was hit on the shoulder, bringing in Andrew Holub (Iowa) from third to give the Giants a 5-4 lead. 

With one out and the bases loaded, a sixth run would’ve come home on Henley’s fly out to right, but a laser from Peyton Steele (Alabama) in right field caught Marino out before he reached second, with Brennon Wright (South Alabama) applying the tag before the runner crossed the plate. 

In the top of the sixth, Wright hit a single to left, bringing home Parker Corbin (Maryland) to tie the game at five apiece. That single increased Wright’s on base streak to 30. 

“He’s a leader. He owns it, he lives it, and he loves it. That’s Brennon,” Big Train Head Coach Sal Colangelo said after the game. “Leadership will take you a long way, not just in baseball but in life, and he owns it.” 

Alex Peltier (East Carolina) scored on a wild pitch during the next at bat to give the Big Train a 6-5 lead. With two runners on, Gonzalez followed that up with a deep double to the right field gap, bringing home Wright and Skowronski to give the Big Train a three run lead. 

The Giants had one more chance to get some runs on the board with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. With one out on the board, reliever James Gladden (Maryland) struck out the next batter he faced and forced a groundout that he fielded cleanly to end the game and clinch the North Division for the Big Train. 

Both teams return to the field on Saturday as the regular season starts to wind down. The Giants head to First Responder Field to play the Olney Cropdusters while the Big Train head to Blair Stadium to face the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts.