Written by Erin Hughes

The Alexandria Aces took an 11-9 victory over the Gaithersburg Giants to clinch the no. 2 seed in the 2025 CRSCBL Playoffs. 

The Giants had the bases loaded early in the first, all on walks, but a first pitch flyout ended the threat for Nate Lake (Shippensburg) as the Aces went to the plate. 

After the Aces’ failed to score in the bottom of the inning, the Giants had the bases loaded again in the top of the second. An RBI fielder’s choice by Nate Hawton-Henley (Maryland) scored Cade Hentz (Jacksonville) for the Giants’ first run.

After a leadoff walk and subsequent stolen base by Michael Powell (Ball State) in the bottom half, Hudson Green (Wesleyan) used a flyout and two swinging strikeouts to leave Powell stranded.

The Giants had the bases juiced with one out in the top of the third on three straight singles. A fielder’s choice scored Ethan McNally (Clarion) as the Giants went ahead 2-0 before Lake caught the last batter looking to end the frame.

Cooper Hums (Western Michigan) drew a walk to start the home half of the inning and stole second on the next pitch. Green fanned the next batter, but Derek Almeda (Chaffey) launched a home run – his first of the year – to left field to tie the game at two-all.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Bryce Rudisill (Mount St. Mary’s) drove a single through to left side to score Hawton-Henley and Brady Powell (Radford). Rudisill stole second and McNally walked to load the bases once more before a fielder’s choice got Danny Orr (UMBC) out at home to prevent a run. The Giants added three more runs in the fourth on two errors as Rudisill, McNally, and Brady Ruiz-Weiss (Yale) all crossed home. The Giants now held a 7-2 advantage in a must-win game for Alexandria. 

In the bottom of the fourth, the Aces also added five runs of their own to tie the game again at seven. With the bases loaded and two outs, John Colligan (Ball State) drew the fourth Aces walk of the frame to plate Powell. Almeda knocked his second hard hit ball of the game to left field as he cleared the bases with a double to drive in Adham Sahebzadeh, Hums, and Colligan. Almeda moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch to even the score. 

The Giants broke the tie in the top of the fifth after back-to-back singles from Powell and Orr, with Powell scoring after he swiped second. 

Now trailing 8-7, the Aces continued to fight back. The bases loaded quickly for Alexandria in the bottom of the fifth on two walks and a single. A double from Huebner scored Gavin Degnan (Penn) and Michael Powell before Diego Pena (Western Michigan) crossed home on an error. Hums drove in another run to make it 11-8, Aces. Giants righty Aidan Carey (George Washington) grabbed two strikeouts and a flyout to end the inning. 

Both Adam Lehmann (Western Michigan) and Carey went three up, three down in the sixth for the first full scoreless inning since the first. 

Steven Svenson (Seton Hall) entered in relief in the top of the seventh and got three outs on three pitches, highlighted by Hawton-Henley getting tossed out 9-4-5 trying to stretch a triple.

With Rudisill and McNally both in scoring position in the top of the eighth, a single from Hentz plated Rudisill for the Giants’ ninth run of the game, cutting the Alexandria lead to two runs. 

After the Aces went down in order in the home half of the eighth, Svenson worked two quick outs in the top of the ninth with a foul out and a looking strikeout. The next two batters reached base on dropped third strike, but Svenson left them on as he fanned the last batter to seal the win. 

When it comes to relievers Svenson and Lehmann, Aces coach Chris Berset said, “those are our guys, those are our pitchers. We’re hoping we can rely on them in the playoffs, and I told the boys this was basically a playoff game. They were able to keep their composure and go to work on that.”

Almeda and Hums had big days at the plate - Almeda went 3-for-5 with a single, a double, a home run, and five RBI as Hums went 1-for-1 with a single and four walks while scoring twice. 

Berset said, “We did some early hitting over at my facility in Alexandria and just kind of reinforced the good stuff a little bit, but big time players shine in those moments…we needed every bit of those runs right there."

With the win, the Aces clinch the No. 2 seed and a bye until Thursday's LCS Semifinal Series.