Adetuyi Sparkles, Play at the Plate Secures 2-1 Victory over Thunderbolts

by Alex Rubinson

Big Train players watching from dugout by Mark Thalman

ROCKVILLE, Md. - The Bethesda Big Train held on for a 2-1 game one win over the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts. Kide Adetuyi (Florida Atlantic University) pitched six shutout innings to outduel Gabe Wheeler and the Thunderbolts.

In the top of the first, the Big Train came to bat as the road team despite the contest being played at Shirley Povich Field. Brennon Wright (University of South Alabama) was the only man to reach base with a bunt single to the third base side of the rubber.

Adetuyi took the mound sporting a 0.69 E.R.A. for the Big Train. The left-hander got two straight flyouts before striking out Steve Thomas looking for an effortless first frame.

Matt Westley (undecided) continued his hot stretch with a line drive single to leadoff the second inning. Thunderbolts pitcher Gabe Wheeler worked around the base hit, as he retired the next three batters including a strikeout of John Martinez (Florida Atlantic University). Adetuyi was in total control in the second with a perfect inning of work. The southpaw got Brady Grimes way out in front to strike him out swinging. He then froze Jack Hurda for his second strikeout of the frame.

Wheeler continued his stellar day on the mound. The Thunderbolts starter retired the Big Train in order. Adetuyi matched Wheeler with a third scoreless frame. The FAU junior sent down the Thunderbolts with ease.

Peyton Steele (University of Alabama) led off the fourth by getting hit by pitch. Two batters later, Westley broke the scoreless tie with a towering home run to left field. The long ball was Westley's first of the season and the 11th for Sal Colangelo’s lineup. The third baseman was the only member of the Big Train to reach base in each of his first two plate appearances.

"[I've been] trying to see the ball deeper, and trying to get my best swing off on good pitches," Westley said.

Matt Westley by Mark Thalman

Adetuyi faced his first test in the bottom of the fourth. After he retired the first two batters of the frame quickly, Thomas singled to break up Adetuyi’s perfect game bid. After another base knock, the Thunderbolts had the tying run in scoring position. Adetuyi locked in to get Grimes to pop out in foul territory to Westley to get the Big Train back in the dugout.

The Big Train threatened to break the game open in the top of the fifth. Alex Peltier (East Carolina University) walked, stole second and got to third on an error by Thomas. After Wright worked the second walk of the inning and stole second, Steele hit a scorching line drive. Even with the infield in, Matthew Kim climbed the leader and showed his cat-like reflexes to rob Steele of a two-run knock. Wheeler retired Emilio Gonzalez (Florida Atlantic University) to escape the jam.

Adetuyi remained in cruise control. He struck out Hurda for the second time of the afternoon before getting the next outs on two total pitches for a six-pitch inning. His efficiency allowed Colangelo to ride him on a day when the Big Train were set to play a doubleheader.

“Kide is always in the zone,” Catcher Dylan Murphy (Florida Atlantic University) said. “He’s got good stuff, good offspeed, and he mixes it really well.”

The Big Train went down quietly in the sixth inning. Westley hit one sharply to shallow center, but Caleb Sturtevant robbed him of a three-hit game with a diving catch. In the bottom half of the inning, it was the Big Train’s turn to show off the leather. Kim hit a sinking liner to leadoff the inning, but Brett Ott (Sacramento State) swooped in to make the catch.

Adetuyi continued to mow down Silver Spring’s hitters left and right., as he retired the first two batters in the sixth inning. As Adetuyi faced the lineup for the third time, he walked the two and three-hole hitters. That sparked a mound visit to settle down the lefty. As the go-ahead run stepped into the batters box, Adetuyi returned to form. He got the Thunderbolts cleanup hitter to flyout to Josh Skowronski (Winthrop University) to end the threat and send the game to the seventh and final frame of game one.

Kide Adetuyi by Mark Thalman

Thunderbolts reliever Brayden Fetherolf, who entered the contest back in sixth inning, worked around a two-out walk to Peltier to shut down the Big Train’s offense and prevented them from adding any insurance runs.

In the bottom of the seventh, Tanner Kaler (University of North Carolina Charlotte) entered for the save opportunity and relieved Adetuyi. Kaler immediately served up a homer to Grimes to cut the lead in half. After a weak popup to Wright, Kaler struck out Nathan Rodriguez for the second out. Kaler then gave up an infield single and two walks to load the bases.

Not wasting time, Colangelo made another call to the bullpen and brought in Cole Ketchum (University of Mississippi). With the bases juiced and two outs, Sturtevant stepped to the dish. In a 1-1 count, Ketchum’s pitch got away and traveled all the way to the backstop. Bryce Curry, who singled earlier in the inning, hesitated before making a mad dash for the plate. Murphy quickly got to the ball and tossed it towards home. Ketchum caught the perfect toss to tag Curry to end the ballgame. Curry’s initial hesitation was the difference between a Big Train win and a tie game.

"We executed that first game," Colangelo said. "We were taking good at bats. Guys were seeing the ball well. You're not going to beat everybody by 20 runs everyday."

The Big Train will go on the road to face the Olney Cropdusters today at 6:30 p.m. The team will return to Shirley Povich Field to host the Gaithersburg Giants on Saturday, July 5 at 7 p.m.