Big Train struggle offensively, fall to Southern Maryland 8-3

by Ian Domeika

Landon Franklin turning a double play (Esther Frances)

WALDORF, Md. — The Big Train could not find much offense Monday night, as they dropped a road contest to the Southern Maryland Senators, 8-3.

The scoring for the Big Train all came in the top of the seventh inning, when Davin Whittaker (East Carolina) hit a laser to the outfield for a two RBI double and would later be driven home by Andrew Williamson (Central Florida).

Williamson, a St. Petersburg native, added to his hitting streak, marking the eleventh straight game with at least one hit. Manager Sal Colangelo was optimistic of how his team’s offense looked.

“Pitchers got to set the tone, but you know when we get up there offensively, we have to have quality at-bats from the first inning to the last inning, and we had eight or nine hits so we are swinging the bat better, we just need to be better with runners in scoring position,” said Colangelo.

The Big Train offense was not as dynamic as usual, but on the defensive side of the ball, Bethesda had many key plays, specifically from starting pitcher Will Clements (Tulane).

Will Clements throwing one of many strikes (Esther Frances)

“I just have to keep taking it day by day, keep working hard, and just kind of hone in on what I am trying to focus on right now,” said Clements.

Along with Clements, relief pitcher Aaron Ceniceros (Cal State Fullerton) came in for help for the second time in as many days and pitched two scoreless innings with one strikeout.

“I was excited to go out there, I’ve been struggling a bit, and I was excited to keep working, just trusting the process and go out there and throw,” said Ceniceros

The sophomore out of Cal State Fullerton impressed his teammates as well.

“He was awesome, I think he’s really turning the page right now and is going to be really big for us down the stretch,” said Will Clements.

The game would get a bit chippy down the stretch as the Senators took the lead, but Colangelo was able to keep his guys focused on the larger task at hand.

“They’re just competitive, everyone’s gunning for you, you know. We have set that high standard so you're always going to get that one guy that’s going to say something. But we’ll deal with it with the bats, with the balls and the catching and throwing,” said Colangelo.

The Big Train hit the road again Tuesday at 7 P.M. to take on the Metro SOCO Braves. You can listen live on YouTube with the link below!

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