Three Big Train Players Homer in 14-3 Victory

Monday, June 8, 2009
by Bryan Oringher
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Box Score

On a beautiful Monday night in Herndon, the Big Train continued to roll along, moving to first place (3-0) in the CRSL on the young season with a 14-3 win over the Braves and Orioles' loss. The Big Train offense broke out in a big way--after Danny Stienstra (San Jose State) hit the Big Train's first home run of the season with a 3-run blast in the first, Jarrod Parks (Mississippi State) and Seth Williams (Michigan State) followed with solo shots of their own.

Jordan Beistline (San Francisco) took the hill for the Big Train in his first start of the season and was dominant, allowing only four hits in five shutout innings to earn the win. After Ryan Vander Tuig (San Jose State) held the lead for two solid innings, the back end of the Big Train bullpen in Mike Matta (Mt. St. Mary's) and Nolan Rudman (Ventura) came on to close the door with two shutout innings for Bethesda.

Eli Boike (Michigan State) added four hits, two doubles, and drove in three, while Bulldogs' teammates Parks and Luke Adkins went a combined six-for-eight with six runs and three RBI.

With Connor Bernatz (San Francisco) and Mike Celenza (Salisbury) on base after walking to start the game in the first, Stienstra came up with one down and launched a shot to left to put Bethesda ahead 3-0; they never looked back, getting out to an 8-0 lead and outhitting the Braves 17 to 9.

With the Orioles' loss to the Maryland Redbirds, who finished 21.5 games behind the O's last summer, the Big Train moved into first place in the league standings. The Big Train's postponed opening night game against the O's has been rescheduled for Thursday in a matchup between the league's best.