BY AN INCH: BIG TRAIN WINS 8-7 SUNDAY NIGHT Box Score

We built Povich Field just barely big enough to contain Youse's Orioles on Sunday. The Orioles were pounding the ball against the fence all night, but none made it out and the Big Train won 8-7. In baseball you don't usually measure a win by inches, but Sunday night's Big Train win was by exactly one inch. In the top of the first with one out and two on, the Orioles' Justin Bour (George Mason) crushed a line-drive seemingly headed for the trees beyond the right field fence. The ball not only hit the very top of the fence, but it bounced directly back to the Big Train right fielder Nick Cleckler (Jacksonville State) who relayed it to Cory Lane (UNC-Charlotte) who threw a runner out at the plate. Instead of a 3-0 lead, the Orioles margin was one. The Big Train piled up eight runs in the third through the fifth innings, all but one thanks to fielding miscues by the Orioles. Josh Dietz (Bowling Green) doubled to lead off the third, Brian Dozier (Southern Mississippi) walked, Lane singled, and Matt Long (Santa Clara) beat out an infield hit when the pitcher was slow to cover first base. One-to-one. RBI singles by Luke Adkins (Southern Mississippi) and Chris Taylor (UNC-Charlotte) brought home three more runs for a 4-1 Big Train advantage. In the fourth, the Orioles got on the board when Justin McClanahan (Louisville) tripled and Bour got him home on a sacrifice fly to the deepest part of center field. In the bottom of the fourth, Dietz and Lane walked. Dietz scored on a single by Cleckler. Long doubled to right field, Lane was called out at the plate, but the catcher failed to see Cleckler running right behind Lane and he snuck in under a belated tag to extend the Bethesda margin to a seemingly comfortable 6-2 lead. The Orioles scored twice in the fifth, and then handed them back to the Big Train on three walks and a dropped fly ball to center. In the top of the sixth, Bethesda returned the favor giving up three runs courtesy of four free passes. And that was the final score at 8-7 as Orioles reliever Michael Broyles (Mississippi) shut down the Big Train and Big Train relievers Brian Anderson (San Francisco) and Austin Hinkle (Coastal Carolina) combined to pitch three scoreless innings.


Youse's Orioles (20-15) 1 0 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 -- 7 8 1
Bethesda Big Train (23-11) 0 0 4 2 2 0 0 0 x -- 8 7 0


WP: Saris (4-1)
LP: Davis (1-1)
Save: Hinkle
3B: McClanahan (YO)
2B: Bour (two) (YO), Dietz (BBT), Long (BBT), McClanahan (YO)
Attendance: 761
Time: 2 hours, 44 minutes


Big Train Notes: Tim Kurkjian of Baseball Tonight and Tony Reali of Around the Horn helped us celebrate ESPN Night at Povich Field on Sunday... The ESPN crew saw a web gem worthy of Baseball Tonight in the sixth that was a replay of last Friday night's 4-6-3 putout. As on Friday, Cory Lane gobbled up a ground ball deep in the hole near second base, dished it off to the short stop Brian Dozier who threw the runner out at first... The Hometowne USA Barbershop Chorus performed... It was another Cold Stone Ice Cream Sunday with 25 fans getting free ice cream... The game night sponsor was NIH-NOAA Recreation & Welfare... The game was webcast and is available from the webcast archives below.