Big Train gets back on winning track

Big Train 9, Orioles 5

Box Score │ Season Stats

Adam Redd (Virginia Tech) had not allowed a run in 20 innings on the mound for the Big Train this summer. Jeff Nutt (Navarro JC) ended that streak with a first inning home run on Saturday night before 589 fans at Povich Field to give the Maryland Orioles a 1-0 advantage as the Orioles sought to close within one-half a game of the first-place Big Train. But the Big Train bats were quick to the rescue scoring two times in the second and three in the third to give Redd a 5-1 cushion. The ever-gritty Redd, last week's Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate League Pitcher of the Week, pitched through the fifth and picked up his third win of the season.

With one out in the top of the second (the Orioles played this game as the home team), Drew Carson (Southern Mississippi) and Bryan Thomas (Virginia Tech) singled and scored. Ken Beamer (Findlay) led off the third with a walk. Greg Lemon (Salisbury) and Rhett Teller (St. Leo) singled. Carson's groundout scored Beamer, Thomas singled to score Lemon, and Nick Cleckler (Jacksonville State) singled to score Teller.

Jeff Poff singled to lead-off the Orioles third inning, Tyler Young doubled and Nutt singled to drive them both in and pull within two runs at 5-3. Jonnie Knoble (San Francisco) broke the game open in the fifth inning with a clutch two-out bases loaded single to give Bethesda a 7-3 advantage. The Train added insurance runs in the seventh and ninth innings.

Dan Bajger (Columbia) and Brett Tidball (Maryland) each pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Carlos Gutierrez (Miami) gave up a run in the eighth and another in the ninth. The Big Train outfielders kept the game from getting close with three spectacular catches worthy of being on ESPN's highlights -- leftfielder Carson diving full out on a ball in front of him, rightfielder Cleckler running full tilt to his right, and Cleckler ending the game on an amazing diving catch on a ball down the first base line.

Bethesda Big Train (13-6) 0 2 3 0 2 0 1 0 1 -- 9 12 1
Maryland Orioles (10-8) 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 -- 5 10 4

WP: Redd (3-0); LP: Petrovich (1-2)
HR: Nutt (3) (MO); 2B: Young (MO), Lemon (BBT), Thomas (BBT), Cuevas (BBT)
Attendance: 589
Time: 2 hours, 52 minutes

Big Train Notes: Thomas was 4-for-4 with two runs scored and one RBI before leaving the game because on an injury... Lemon was 3-for-5... Cleckler extended his hit streak to 10 games... University of Texas Assistant Coach Tommy Harmon, fresh off a sixth national championship victory Sunday in the 2005 College World Series, was in the house... It was Bowie Baysox Night, and Louie the mascot was in good form... The game was sponsored by Friedman Billings Ramsey.

The theme of the night was spectular catches. Drew Carson had one of them. Photo by Lisa Kammerman. Copyright 2005