Big Train dominates Thunderbolts, 8-1
Davin Whitaker (Esther Frances)
SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Bethesda Big Train put together a complete performance on both sides of the ball, cruising to an 8-1 victory over the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts on Friday at Montgomery Blair High School.
Leading off for the Big Train, Justin Nadeau (Florida) had a stellar day at the plate, recording three doubles and a single. He was aggressive on the base paths, stealing second after singling in the first inning and advancing to third on an error.
“I'm really just focusing on my approach, trusting myself, and just letting my hands work and being aggressive early in the count,” Nadeau said. That's really what made me successful today.”
Justin Nadeau (Esther Frances)
Davin Whitaker (East Carolina) brought Nadeau home in the first with an RBI single, one of his three hits on the day. Whitaker singled again to start the fifth inning, beginning a cascade of runs. The Big Train loaded the bases with one out, and Whitaker raced home to score on a passed ball. A groundout scored another run, and then Nadeau flexed his power at the plate once again, knocking a two-RBI double to give the Big Train a 7-1 lead.
“We were up since the first inning, and we just never let go of that lead,” starting pitcher Joey Wimpelberg (Central Florida) said. “We just kept putting on runs.”
The offensive burst took some pressure off the Big Train pitching staff, which was dominant in its own right, holding the Thunderbolts to five hits and one unearned run. Wimpelberg pitched four innings, executing well through jams with infield grounders to keep runners from advancing.
“I felt like my cutter was there for me whenever I needed,” Wimpelberg said. “I had a good command over it. I was able to use that to get out of trouble, a lot of weak contact with it. And just getting ahead in the counts, that's really what it came down to.”
Joey Wimpelberg (Esther Frances)
Evan Hart (Kentucky) showed similar resilience, getting out of a bases loaded situation with two strikeouts and a fly out in the fifth inning. Aaron Ceniceros (Cal State Fullerton) picked up where Hart left off, throwing six strikeouts and only allowing one hit through three scoreless innings.
“When we were in a jam, there were a lot of ground balls, and the infield came up clutch in situations where we needed it to,” Wimpelberg said.
After closer Max Martzolf (Florida Atlantic) set down the first two batters of the ninth inning with strikeouts, third baseman Jack Guerrero (James Madison) came up clutch to help him finish the job, making a nice pick on a short hopper to end the game.
“We’re just competing, and that's the big thing,” Nadeau said. “Just keep stacking it up each and every day. We got another one tomorrow, so hopefully we can keep competing.”
After the Big Train beat the Thunderbolts and the Gaithersburg Giants lost to the Cropdusters on Thursday, the Big Train (8-7) trails the Giants (9-6) by one game in the annual Montgomery Cup sponsored by MCM competition between the four Ripken League teams based in Montgomery County. Our next three games will decide which team wins the Cup. Join us at Povich Field Saturday night July 13 for our final showdown with the Giants, and catch us on the road Friday in Olney to face the Cropdusters. First pitch is at 7 p.m.