WHAT CAN YOU SAY BUT "WOW!" Box Score

Folks, this was summer college wooden bat baseball at its very best. The two top teams in the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League paired-up Friday night in front of 619 fans at Shirley Povich Field with first place on the line, and both teams brought their A-game. The first place Youse's Orioles got on the board first in the top of the second. The first two batters singled off Big Train starter Matt Wickswat (Santa Clara). With the count three-and-two, Vincent Difazio (Alabama) fouled-off three straight pitches and then deposited the next one over the right field fence. Advantage Orioles, 3-0. The gritty Wickswat got through that inning and pitched three scoreless innings to keep the Big Train in the game. Meanwhile, the Virginia bound Neal Davis held the Big Train scoreless through three innings before hitting Preston Pehrson (Texas) and giving up a home run to Luke Adkins (Southern Mississippi) in the fourth. Matt Long (Santa Clara) would have tied the score at 3 in the bottom of the fifth but for a spectacular catch by Orioles shortstop Allan Smaltz, his second robbery in just three innings. In the top of the sixth, Ryan Rhoden (Alabama) hit a solo home run. Advantage Orioles, 4-2. In the bottom of the seventh, Adkins reached on a fielder's choice and was doubled home by Steven Leach (Jacksonville State). A lead-off single in the top of the eighth failed to produce an insurance run for the Orioles as the Big Train turned a double play and rightfielder Nick Cleckler (Jacksonville State) made one of his trademark running catches in foul territory just before crashing into the bullpen fence. In the bottom of the eight, the Big Train converted on Long's leadoff single. Clean-up hitter Pehrson sacrificed Long to second and Josh Dietz (Bowling Green) singled him home. Leach doubled again, scoring Dietz with the go-ahead run. Advantage Bethesda, 5-4. Difazio singled to lead-off the top of the ninth against Big Train reliever Austin Hinkle (Coastal Carolina). But Hinkle struck out the next batter and first baseman Dietz stabbed a line-shot that could have tied the game but in fact ended the game as Dietz stepped on first to double-up Difazio. Wow!


Youse's Orioles (18-10) 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 -- 4 8 0
Bethesda Big Train (18-9) 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 2 x -- 5 9 0


WP: Hinkle (2-1)
LP: Squatrito
HR: Difazio (YO), Adkins (BBT), Rhoden (YO
2B: Fay (BBT), Leach (two) (BBT)
Attendance: 619

Big Train Notes: This instant classic was webcast and is already available as part of our webcast archives at www.bigtrain.org... There were more stars on the scorekeeper's card than I have ever seen in a single game. In addition to the ESPN-worthy web gems by Smaltz, Cleckler, and Dietz mentioned in the game story above, the Big Train turned a nifty but unconventional 4-6-3. No, it wasn't a double play. In the third inning, second baseman Cory Lane (UNC-Charlotte) ranged far to his right to pick up a ground ball. Having no chance to turn and throw the runner out a first, he tossed a lateral pass to the shortstop Brian Dozier (Southern Mississippi) who was moving in the right direction and threw the runner out at first... 100 young Big Train fans went home with a Big Train Mini-Bat courtesy of D-Bat. Check them out on the web: http://www.dbatinc.com/ ... Our Season Sponsor Chevy Chase Bank brought Ben Franklin (whose comment about lightning could have shut us down for the night had the umpires not had a sense of humor) to throw out a first pitch and a mascot that looked like an ATM machine.