June 2008 Archives

Newman pitched a fantastic Game 2, but the 'Bolts could not support him offensively or defensively.

ROCKVILLE - - The 'Bolts split yesterday's afternoon double header with Rockville Express, winning the first game 4-3 and losing the second 2-0 to improve to 10-8 on the season.

In the first game, the game started in the tenth inning with the score tied 3-3. For a recap, Paul Cusick started the game for the 'Bolts and went 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on only one hit, but had walked five.

Billy Barber broke the scoreless tie in the top of the second with an RBI single, scoring Michael Speciale. After Express runs in the fourth and fifth took the lead, the 'Bolts struck back in the top of the seventh. After Mike Lang got to first on a dropped third strike, Kendall Bolt hit his first home run of the year, giving the 'Bolts a 3-2 lead. It would not last long, however, as the Express tied it up in the bottom of the seventh with a Kyle Obal RBI single.

After a scoreless tenth, the game continued in to the top of the eleventh with the score still tied, 3-3. Mike Lang led off with a walk, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Alex Bectha singled to left, advancing Lang to third. Rockville reliever Dave Ahern threw a wild pitch, scoring Lang to take the lead and eventual win for the 'Bolts.

White pitched a gem as the 'Bolts got the victory

SILVER SPRING - - Even though weather conditions ended last nights Thunderbolts-Orioles game in the bottom of the sixth inning, the 'Bolts came out victorious, improving their season record against the top team in the league to 2-0.

Thunderbolts starter Dusty White pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing only one run.

"Dusty will go out there every time and pitch his hardest no matter what," Coach John Duffy said. "He's given us that every time he's pitched this year."

Jose Sanchez pitched last 2/3 of the sixth inning, getting his first win of the season. For the Orioles, starting pitcher Quinton Miller pitched five innings, allowing both Thunderbolts runs.

Speciale drives in Jeff Jones in the first. Photo courtesy of Jeff Lautenberger.

SILVER SPRING - - In a bona fide pitcher's duel, the Thunderbolts defeated the league leading Youse's Maryland Orioles and their best pitcher, 2-1. With the win, the 'Bolts are now 8-7 on the year and three games back of the Orioles for first place.

For the 'Bolts, their best pitcher this year, Ed Bach, started the game. He pitched seven excellent innings, allowing only two hits and walking two while striking out seven and not allowing any runs.

"I felt good today," Bach said. "I had good defense behind me, whenever I got a runner on, whether it was a walk or something, I knew if I got a groundball I could count on my defense for a double play."

Tonneson hitting the critical grand slam. Photo courtesy of Jeff Lautenberger.

SILVER SPRING - - In the game of baseball, one swing of the bat can change the course of the entire game. After Tuesday night's game against the Big Train, no team knows this more than the Thunderbolts, as they lost, 5-4.

In the top of the first inning Big Train catcher and junior at the University of California Dylan Tonneson hit a grand slam against 'Bolts pitcher Paul Cusick, providing the Big Train with a 4-0 lead.

The 'Bolts put together some offense in the bottom of the second, when Brett Conner and Heath Weatherford hit back to back doubles. Rich Conlon drove in Weatherford on a single through the right side.

HERNDON - - The Thunderbolts improved their record to 7-6 after splitting this past weekends’ series with the Herndon Braves.

In the first game, the ‘Bolts looked clearly outmatched, as struggling starting pitcher Matt Trent continued his woes on the mound, allowing five runs in four innings for the loss. Trent’s ERA is now 14.00, highest of anyone on the team.

Offensively, the ‘Bolts did all their scoring in the first inning. Center fielder Mike Lang singled to center, stole second base, advanced to third on a Jabari Graham ground out, and scored on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, with two on and two out, left fielder Billy Barber drove in Brett Conner and Gerardo Hernandez with a double to center field.

Just came back, here's the box score.

SILVER SPRING - - Yesterday, the 'Bolts jumped over the .500 bump again, beating the Alexandria Aces 2-1 at home to increase their season record to 6-5. Michael Speciale hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh to break a scoreless tie, and Jordan Cudney pitched the final two innings for his second save of the year. Ed Bach pitched seven scoreless innings, getting the win, and Kendall Bolt went 2-3 with a run.

Off to Cooperstown now, will post a full update when I get back Monday night.

Readers, I will be taking a short vacation to New York for this upcoming weekend, returning Monday afternoon. Updates on all T-Bolts news will be posted as soon as I come back. Thank you for your patience,

Pete Volk

SILVER SPRING - - The first meeting this year between the Thunderbolts and the Herndon Braves did not turn out well for the 'Bolts, as they lost, 14-2, at home.

Starting pitcher Dusty White threw five innings, allowing four runs, three of them earned, and struck out five. The bullpen and poor fielding, however, is what lost the game for the 'Bolts. Jeremy Zarou allowed 3 runs in one third of an inning, Andrew Germuth allowed two in one and two thirds innings, and Sean Swetnam allowed three in his two innings. All in all, the 'Bolts bullpen allowed eight runs in their four innings of work.

The poor pitching of Zarou, Germuth and Swetnam is just the continuation of their struggles all year long. Their ERAs on the year are 10.38, 9.00, and 7.71, respectively, all three among the five highest of regular pitchers on the squad.

Here is the box score for the 9-1 victory the 'Bolts had Tuesday against the Redbirds.

SILVER SPRING - - While less entertaining than Sunday’s extra inning affair against the Bombers, Tuesday’s game against the Redbirds had a very satisfactory result for the ‘Bolts, a 9-1 thrashing.

The ‘Bolts started the scoring in the first inning, when Jeff Jones got hit by a pitch, advanced to second on a wild pitch, took third on a Michael Speciale ground out, and scored on another wild pitch. Jones scored three runs on the game and was walked twice.

SILVER SPRING - - After splitting the first two games of the season series, the ‘Bolts and the Bombers played Sunday in the rubber match.

In a rematch of their first game of the season, the Bombers’ Jack Amidei took the mound against the ‘Bolts Wade Newman, and the scoring started early. Bombers’ leadoff hitter Craig Lanzarotta, a junior at Mesa State, took a 1-0 pitch out of the yard to left center field, giving College Park a 1-0 lead. The Bombers scored again in the second, when Hartford senior Brady Stouffer scored on a double by Brian Hangbers.

SILVER SPRING - - In the first game ever between the Thunderbolts and the Alexandria Aces, the ‘Bolts coasted to a 4-1 victory.

The Aces, the new addition to the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, came into the game with a 3-2 record, better than the ‘Bolts 2-4, but all three of the Aces wins came against winless Rockville.

The game was nearly called off, as it was raining steadily from the third inning through the fifth. The teams tried to hurry through to get the required five innings in for an official game, but after the fifth inning the rain slowed and the game could be completed.

BETHESDA - - In a sometimes lackadaisical effort, the ‘Bolts were demolished by the Big Train in Friday’s doubleheader, 15-6 and 14-2, in their first two games without Coach John Duffy.

Game 1 picked up where it had left off (it was suspended due to darkness), with a 3-1 Big Train lead in the top of the third. In the bottom of third, the Big Train continued their scoring off of La Salle sophomore Jeremy Zarou, as pitcher Scott Schneider drove in Luke Adkins with a one out single to left field. Schneider would then score on a Ben Jones single, as the throw to third from Mike Lang bounced off of third baseman Jabari Graham into left field.

Coach John Duffy and relief pitcher Austin Drewyer have been suspended by the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League for four and two games, respectively, after their actions in the game Wednesday night against Rockville.

A Rockville pitcher hit ‘Bolts star Gerardo Hernandez with a pitch, and Drewyer hit a Rockville player in the head later in the game.

SILVER SPRING - - Mike Stangroom certainly had his game with him on Thursday.

The 6’5” senior out of the University of Buffalo hurled the first complete game shut out in the league this year as the Redbirds squashed the ‘Bolts, 5-0.

Stangroom struck out 12 batters, and did not walk a single ‘Bolts player. On five hits, only one went for extra bases, a double to right center in the bottom of the sixth by Lafayette sophomore Alex Bechta. Only three ‘Bolts runner made it to second base, none advancing farther than that.

The Thunderbolts-Big Train game previously scheduled for June 7 that was canceled due to lighting has been rescheduled for June 13 at 5 PM at Shirley Povich Field.

SILVER SPRING - - Yesterday, the Thunderbolts played their first double header of the year, both games resulting in the same score. Unfortunately, only one of them was a victory.

In the first game, the ’Bolts used Winthrop sophomore Wade Newman as their starter against College Park’s Jack Amidei, a senior from Mesa State. Newman threw three scoreless innings and Amidei allowed only one unearned run in five.

Former Thunderbolts Mike Sheridan, Jared Yecker, and Justin McClanahan were selected in
the 2008 baseball draft, part of a crop of 31 former Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League
players picked this year.

Sheridan, a first baseman from William & Mary, was part of the TBolts 2006 championship
team. He was drafted in the 5th round by the Tampa Bay Rays, the 143rd pick overall.

The game on Saturday the seventh was canceled due to lighting.

Box Score provided by ripkensrcollegebaseball.org

The Automated ScoreBook
Rockville at Silver Spring-Takoma
Jun 06, 2008 at Silver Spring (Blair)

R H E
-------------------------------------------
Rockville........... 000 010 000 - 1 8 2
Silver Spring-Takoma 010 100 00X - 2 6 1
-------------------------------------------

June 6, 2008

by Pete Volk

It was a great way to open the season.

In front of a near capacity crowd at Montgomery Blair High School, the Thunderbolts triumphed 2-1 over the visiting Rockville Express. 6'6" Wingate sophomore Dusty White started for the 'Bolts, and threw 5 innings for the win, allowing only one run.

"It was my first outing, and I was pretty pleased with my performance," White said. "I didn't have all my stuff working great, like my breaking balls and changeups, but I made some good pitches, we had great defense, timely hitting, and it was enough for the win."