ShagKids love the Big Train

NANN AND MCCLANAHAN GO BACK-TO-BACK IN THE HOME RUN DERBY, AND THEN IN THE GAME; ALL-STARS TIE 4-4 AT POVICH Box Score

Two hours before the first pitch of the 2006 Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game the Povich Field scoreboard thermometer read 101 degrees. By game’s end, the temperature had dropped to a “chilly” 81. The All-Stars stayed hot, however, with the Montgomery and Maryland squads playing to a 4-4 draw in front of 611 fans.

After Montgomery pitchers Chris Cullen (Big Train/Michigan State), Matt Montgomery (Thunderbolts/Undecided), and Billy Gross (Express/West Virginia) shut down the Maryland offense through the first three innings, Maryland opened up the fourth inning with four straight hits. Brian Conley (Orioles/Towson) led off the inning with a single to rightfield. Youse’s Maryland Orioles teammate Justin McClanahan (Orioles/Louisville) then ripped a home run over the leftfield fence to put Maryland on the board.

Before the game, McClanahan put on a show for the crowd during the 2006 Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Home Run Derby, hitting five home runs in the opening round before finishing as the runner-up in the championship round. The man who beat McClanahan in the Home Run Derby was Chris Nann (Bombers/Northern Kentucky), who belted eight long-balls in the championship round to win the title.


So, in the fourth inning the stage was set for Nann, who followed McClanahan in the Maryland line-up. And Nann did not disappoint, knocking a fastball over the right-centerfield fence to go back-to-back with McClanahan and put Maryland up, 3-0. Maryland manufactured another run in the fourth to take a four-run lead.

Montgomery responded in the bottom half. Cody Dee (Express/UC-Santa Barbara) singled and Charlie Lenhard (Thunderbolts/Akron) reached on an error. A single by Luke Adkins (Big Train/Southern Miss) scored Dee and moved Lenhard to third, who then scored on a double-play ball.

In the fifth, Brian Dozier (Big Train/Southern Miss) walked and scored on a Matt Long (Big Train/Santa Clara) triple. And in the seventh, Eric Oliver (Express/Orange Coast) was hit by a pitch and eventually came around to score on an error to tie the game.

Both teams made a last-ditch effort to win the ballgame in the ninth inning, but Maryland could not plate a run after loading the bases with one out, and Montgomery left Dozier on second base after a two-out double.

Mike Schurz (Redbirds/Iowa) started for the Maryland squad and did not allow a run in his one inning of work. Tom Dolan (Bombers/Temple) came in for Maryland with a runner on third and two outs in the fifth inning and got the last batter swinging. He then struck out the first two hitters in the sixth inning and got the last out through the air to complete his night. Cullen started for Montgomery, allowing no runs on one hit, and his bullpen retired the side in order five times the rest of the night.

McClanahan earned All-Star Most Valuable Player honors for his two run home run in the fourth inning. He also singled in the first inning.



Maryland All-Stars 000 400 000 – 4 7 3
Montgomery All-Stars 000 210 100 – 4 8 1


HR – McClanahan, Nann
3B – Long
2B – Dozier


Notes: The Maryland All-Stars were managed by Dean Albany of the Orioles. The Montgomery All-Stars were managed by Sal Colangelo of the Big Train… Six players (one from each team) competed in the first-ever Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Home Run Derby. In the first round, each player got ten outs to hit as many home runs as they could, with anything but a home run or a taken pitch counting as an out. McClanahan hit five home runs in the first round. Nann, Lenhard, and Josh Dietz each hit two home runs in the first round to force a five-out tiebreaker round. Derek Mechling hit one home run in the first round, and Jimmy Dishmey-Perez failed to hit a home run. In the tiebreaker round, Nann advanced after hitting four home runs. Lenhard hit two and Dietz hit one. Nann hit first in the championship round and belted eight to McClanahan’s two. The Home Run Derby Champion and MVP Awards were presented by D-Bat, official sponsor of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League… Each All-Star Game participant was presented with a commemorative mini-bat from D-Bat… Cartwright the Duck of Mascot Marketing Concepts was on hand for the Home Run Derby… The All-Star Game was sponsored by the Maryland Sports Medicine Center in Olney. Special thanks to the MSMC and Dr. David Higgins for their outstanding service to the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League in 2006. Dr. Higgins has generously donated his time and expertise to treat CRSCBL athletes free of charge, whenever they are in need of physical therapy. The game was announced by Washington-area sports legend Phil Hochberg. Longtime announcer for the Redskins, Senators and Orioles, Mr. Hochberg is featured on the Ring of Stars at FedEx field, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League.