Bethesda Big Train Baseball

Three Touchdowns, Two Missed Extra Points

Big Train looking for a new placekicker

Big Train 19, Redbirds 1

Box Score │ Season Stats

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Baseball is a strange game. Is that why we love it? On Tuesday afternoon in Rockville, the Big Train got no hits. Wednesday night at Povich Field, the Big Train bats erupted for 15 hits before 527 fans to gain a 19-1 win over the Maryland Redbirds. Three huge offensive innings for the Big Train sealed their fifteenth victory of the season. The Big Train maintained its 1.5 game lead over the Maryland Orioles, winners Wednesday night over Silver Spring-Takoma.

The Big Train got off to a great start in the first inning hitting three consecutive singles and forcing in the first run of the game. After allowing another run in the bottom of the second, the Maryland Redbirds yielded eight runs in the fourth inning on five hits while committing two errors. Thirteen Big Train batters stepped to the plate including two at-bats by Nick Cleckler (Jacksonville State) who singled twice and stole three bases in the inning. The Big Train's speed proved once again to be a valuable asset, setting up the big inning. Cleckler's base running disturbed the Redbirds' pitchers, forcing them to focus on the speedy runner instead of the batters.

The Redbirds attempted to mount a comeback in the top of the fifth inning but only managed to score one run off pitcher Kenny Moreland's (Christopher Newport) error. The wild throw to first, which allowed Ian Christie (Hopkins) to trot home, was Moreland's only mistake of the night. He ended the night pitching six strong innings allowing zero earned runs and giving up only two hits.

Just when Bethesda fans thought their hometown team could not score any more runs, the Big Train plated five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Big Train second baseman Greg Lemon (Salisbury) and first baseman Rhett Teller (St. Leo) lead the offensive attack with three hits each.

Maryland Redbirds (9-12) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 -- 1 3 4
Bethesda Big Train (15-7) 1 1 0 8 5 4 0 0 - -- 19 15 3

WP: Moreland; LP: Dupski
2B: Smith (BBT), Ames (MO)
Attendance: 527
Time: 3 hours and 11 minutes

Big Train Notes: The Cleckler Family was in the house after a 12 hour drive from Alabama to cheer on our rightfielder, Nick Cleckler... The Big Train gave out 250 packs of baseball cards Wednesday night to kids 12 & under... 15 kids went home with a signed Mark Prior card, 12 got a signed Billy Ripken card, and another 16 received a card signed by the first Big Train alumnus to play in the big leagues, John Maine... The Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association (WANADA) sponsored the game.