Orioles 5, Big Train 4

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For the second time this week, the Bethesda Big Train gave up a late inning lead and lost on a home run, falling 5-4 to the AAABA champion Maryland Orioles on Saturday night at Bachman Park.

Bethesda took a two run lead in the top of the second when Greg Lemon (Salisbury) led off with a single, advanced on a sacrifice, moved to third on a single by Nick Cleckler (Jacksonville State), and scored on an RBI single by Andrew Smith (San Francisco). With Cleckler on third, Smith allowed himself to get caught in a run-down attempting to steal second allowing Cleckler to race home. Bethesda starter Dustin Pease (Mount St. Mary's) retired the first six batters before hitting Jeff Nutt(Navarro JC) with a pitch. Nutt moved to second on a single, third on a sacrifice, and scored on an RBI groundout to reduce the Big Train advantage to 2-1. Jonnie Knoble (San Francisco) led off the Bethesda fifth with a single, was sacrificed to second, and scored an unearned run on a hard hit ball by Rhett Teller (St. Leo) that went under the glove of the Orioles' shortstop. With two out in the top of the sixth, Smith doubled and scored on Steve Fay (Mount St. Mary's)'s RBI single to extend the Big Train lead to 4-1. The Orioles got one back in the bottom of the sixth on three singles. Preston Pehrson (Jacksonville) led off the seventh with a double and scored. Jeff Poff singled and scored on an RBI double by Jeremy Farrell (Virginia) to tie the score at four. Bethesda reliever Jimmy Kelly (Middle Tennessee State) left Farrell stranded on second and retired the first two batters in the eighth, but a two out home run over the right field fence by Jeff Nutt proved to be the margin of victory for the Orioles.

Bethesda Big Train (3-4) 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 -- 4 9 1
Maryland Orioles (4-3) 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 1 - -- 5 11 4
WP: Kerfoot; LP: Kelly; Save: Montgomery
HR: Nutt (MO); 2B: Smith (BBT), Pehrson (2) (MO), Farrell (MO),
Attendance: 64
Time: 2 hours, 6 minutes