Written by Mahaley Wise

A rainy evening in Olney did not put a damper on the second game of the doubleheader for the Cropdusters. The Thunderbolts, once again, captured an early lead, holding strong until the sixth inning when the Cropdusters rallied for seven runs. Ultimately, the Cropdusters would secure the win, 7-5, as the Thunderbolts could not gather any more runs afterwards. 

Cropdusters Head Coach Adam Leader told his team after the first win of the doubleheader and before the start of the second game, “...it’s great to get the first one, because then you can’t lose both. Every game is important heading into the playoffs, so it's really important to get the second one.”

For the first three innings of the game, both teams struggled to score any runs despite having runners on base. Both pitching staffs were able to work themselves out of difficult jams, preventing the other team from scoring. 

The Thunderbolts broke away in the fourth inning, scoring three runs to put them ahead of the scoreless Cropdusters. Back-to-back singles by Brayden Foster (Youngstown State) and Vance Bonior (UMass) got the ball rolling. Gabe Ruiz (UMBC) followed with a walk to load the bases for the Thunderbolts. Another set of singles by Bryce Curry (Hofstra) and Nathan Rodriquez (Mount St. Mary’s) scored the three runs for the Thunderbolts to put them in the lead. 

In the fifth inning, the Thunderbolts continued to tack on runs to earn themselves extra security against the Cropdusters, who were struggling to send men home. Two walks from Griffin Puvel (Rider) and Josh Erd (Frederick CC) put a runner in scoring position. Foster delivered a single to send Erd home and score a run. A sacrifice fly to right field by Bonior earned another run for the Thunderbolts, giving them a 5-0 lead over Olney. 

In the sixth inning, the Cropdusters came to life, overtaking the Thunderbolts in a thrilling series of at-bats. Four walks and a hit by pitch from the Thunderbolts pitcher gave the Cropdusters two runs as they closed the gap on the Thunderbolts' lead, now 5-2. 

Austin Stalker (West Chester) came to bat with bases loaded. The first pitch made contact with the barrel of Stalker’s bat. The crack of the bat seemed to freeze the stadium into shock, as everyone watched the ball go over the right field wall. It was a grand slam. As soon as the ball touched down on the other side of the wall, the stadium erupted into cheers, and players ran out of the dugout. Stalker trotted the bases, jumping into a huge pile of his teammates to celebrate. 

The Cropdusters now led by one run, 6-5, but they weren’t finished yet. Leader said about the rally in the sixth inning, “We just said stay up…we started to get rolling and then we got the grand slam, so we felt pretty good after that."

More singles and walks from the Cropdusters offense loaded the bases again against the Thunderbolts as the inning began to feel like a never-ending cycle of runners. Cadeyrn Ahearn (Lehigh University) worked another walk to put the runners in motion around the bases, scoring Carter Richey (VCU). Finally, after three pitching changes, the Thunderbolts work their way out of the inning. 

The Thunderbolts were forced into a final seventh-inning showdown after losing their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. They were unable to rally and lost the second game of the doubleheader. 

Leader reflected on winning both games of the doubleheader and his hope for the team's future: “I hope we continue to roll with games like this. I hope these games have sparked a little energy in our guys, and it keeps them moving into the playoffs."