Big Train Offense Explodes For 15 Runs In Win Over Silver Spring

The first place Bethesda Big Train (15-5) picked up their eighth win in their last ten games Thursday night as they blew out the second place Silver-Spring Takoma Thunderbolts (11-9) on the road by a score of 15-5.

Bethesda wasted no time striking first blood as in the top of the first, Jacob Southern (Jacksonville) ripped an RBI double to score Kobe Kato (Arizona), putting the Big Train on top 1-0. In the top of the third, it was again Southern producing at the plate as he drove his league-leading sixth home run to left field to put Bethesda on top 2-0. Later in the inning, both Tate Soderstrom (Arizona) and Martin Vincelli-Simard (Sacramento State) scored on wild pitches increasing the Big Train lead to 4-0.

Two innings later the Big Train started to pull away as they put up a five spot in the top of the fifth. Both Soderstrom and Keith Torres III (Sacramento State) hit RBI singles, Darius Foster (San Fransico) scored on a wild pitch and Torres scored on an error as Bethesda increased their lead to 9-0.

Silver Spring wouldn’t back down, however, as they plated three runs of their own in the bottom half of the fifth, but their comeback hopes would be short-lived as the Big Train lineup heated back up in the top of the seventh. Foster scored the first run of the inning on an error. Then Gio Diaz (St. Mary’s CA) plated Vincelli-Simard with a single, and Christian Jayne (East Carolina) scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 12-3.

Solo home runs by Ryan Roell (Frostburg) and Lucas Donlon (Virginia Tech) in the bottom of the seventh cut the lead to 12-5, but in the top of the ninth, the Big Train would again extend the lead to double digits. Torres led off the inning with a double which gave him his third hit of the ball game.

“I was focusing on hitting a fastball,” Torres said of his approach. “I’ve been in a little slump lately so I was just focusing on driving a fastball well wherever I could.”

The breakout night for Torres did not end with a double as later in the inning he stole home while the Silver Spring pitcher was in between pitches.

“It was a 3-2 count, and I noticed the pitcher took forever to come into his set. There were two outs, full count, so I was like maybe I should try it, and I happened to do it and got it. It was pretty awesome," he said.

The steal of home was just one of three the Big Train would score in the ninth as Soderstrom hit a two-run single scoring Kato and Southern to extend the lead to 15-5. Ten runs would be more than enough to close the ballgame out as the Big Train improved to 4-1 against Silver-Spring this season.

Thursday’s game marked the seventh time the Big Train scored double-digit runs in a game this season.

“It’s awesome hitting with guys like Southern, Kobe, and everyone in the lineup," Torres said. "It’s awesome to be in a lineup that gets ten runs a game.”

Friday the Big Train will be back in action as they’ll play a pair of seven-inning ball-games against the FCA Braves in Lorton, Virginia. Game one’s first pitch is set for 5 p.m.