Peltier, bullpen guide Big Train to fourth consecutive win

by Calvin Kaplan

Alex Peltier by Nora Kelley

ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Bethesda Big Train picked up a gritty fourth win in a row Thursday, relying on elite pitching en route to a 5-3 victory.

At the plate, the team was headed by center fielder Alex Peltier (East Carolina), who put up three hits and a walk. The pitching was headlined by 4.1 shutout relief innings from right-hander Cole Ketchum (Mississippi). Ketchum allowed no hits and walked just one batter, striking out six.

“One word: spectacular,” Big Train head coach Sal Colangelo said of Ketchum. “He’s going to be a big piece of what we do down the stretch.”

Right-hander Jack Ketchum (Alabama) started the game with a scoreless top of the first, headlined by a diving stop at second from Parker Corbin (Maryland). In the bottom of the frame, Peltier came home on a dropped fly ball, giving the Big Train an early 1-0 lead.

In the second, the Cropdusters took a one-run lead before Ketchum exited in the middle of an at-bat, pointing at his elbow in apparent discomfort. Cole Ketchum replaced him, finishing off a strikeout in one pitch to end the top half of the inning.

“Just precautionary,” Colangelo said. “Jack’s a great kid. We’ll get him looked at and wish him nothing but the best.”

After that, the teams went back and forth with scoreless frames, with Ketchum striking out two in the third and two more in the fourth. In the latter half of the fourth, Peltier smacked an RBI single, tying the score at two.

Ketchum tacked on another strikeout in the fifth, pushing his total to six on the day. In the bottom of the fifth, designated hitter Matt Westley (Undecided) hammered a double into left field, giving the Big Train a 3-2 advantage.

Ketchum took care of business in the sixth as well, and in the next half-inning, Peltier smoked a double into left-center. Right fielder Peyton Steele (Alabama) drove Peltier in with a single, extending the Big Train lead to 4-2.

In the seventh, the Big Train replaced Ketchum after his stellar day, bringing in left-hander Connor Lehman (Alabama) to pitch. The Cropdusters brought one run home to cut the deficit in half, and they held the Big Train scoreless in the latter half of the frame.

Lehman stayed in the game for the eighth, firing a scoreless inning to maintain the lead for the Big Train. Peltier launched a rocket double into right field in the proceeding half inning. Soon after, he sprinted home to score off a sacrifice fly from Steele, extending the Big Train’s edge to 5-3.

“I’m starting to get a really good sense of the plate and where pitches are going to be at,” Peltier said. “I mean, the train’s rolling. I think everybody’s just having fun.”

In the ninth, Colangelo brought in left-hander Kide Adetuyi (Florida Atlantic) to try for the save. After a leadoff walk, Adetuyi blew by the next three hitters, striking out the side to end the game in a flash.

“It felt good,” Adetuyi said. “You know, obviously walked the first guy, don’t want that to happen, but coming back, three strikeouts is amazing, so I’m very excited.”

Up next, the Big Train will play at home today against the Southern Maryland Senators. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.