Recap: Big Train drops road matchup against Aces

by Calvin Kaplan

Brennon Wright

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Despite multiple home runs, the Bethesda Big Train suffered a tough 9-4 loss against the Alexandria Aces on Friday, dropping to 22-7 on the season.

First baseman Emilio Gonzalez (Undecided) and right fielder Josh Skowronski (Winthrop) both recorded solo homers in the defeat. Third baseman Logan Ponnett (North Carolina Charlotte) tacked on a multi-hit day. On the mound, the team was led by right-hander Tyler Brashear (Eckerd), who struck out five batters over two scoreless frames.

“Tyler’s a great pitcher. He worked ahead,” Big Train head coach Sal Colangelo said. “We had our opportunities. We just didn’t get it done.”

The Aces took a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the Big Train quickly tied things up in the top of the second on a solo home run from Gonzalez. After the first baseman’s second bomb of the year, both teams went scoreless until the top of the fourth, when Skowronski blasted another solo homer, giving the Big Train a 2-1 edge. That knock marked Skowronski’s fourth home run of the season.

The Aces responded with a couple of runs in the bottom of the frame against left-hander Connor Lehman (Alabama), who had done a solid job of limiting them until that point. Alexandria scored three more runs in the fifth before the Big Train brought in Brashear.

Brashear sent down the next three Aces in order with two strikeouts. After a scoreless sixth from both teams that included three more K’s from the righty, Alexandria maintained its 6-2 advantage.

The Big Train did not bring home a run in the seventh, and the Aces managed to score once against right-hander Michael Kass (Central Florida), extending their lead to five. In the top of the eighth, Skowronski brought the Big Train closer with a sacrifice fly. After a bloop RBI single from Ponnett, the Big Train trailed 7-4.

In the latter half of the inning, the Aces brought home a pair of runs, taking a 9-4 lead and dampening the Big Train’s comeback hopes. After a scoreless ninth, Alexandria secured its victory, snapping the Big Train’s 11-game winning streak.

Next up, the team returns home today to take on the Gaithersburg Giants at 7 p.m.