June 2009 Archives

Patton pitched well, but still got the loss. Photo by Jeff Lautenberger.

SILVER SPRING - - The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts slid further into last place in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League on Friday, losing 4-2 to the Maryland Redbirds and falling to 4-14 on the year.

The visiting Redbirds were able to take an early lead off Thunderbolts starter Spencer Patton (Towson), as left fielder Frank Florio (Stetson) hit an RBI single in the top of the first. However, it was the only earned run Patton would surrender in the game. The 'Bolts were able to tie it up in the bottom of the first, as Jacob Darr (Mount St. Mary's) hit a sacrifice fly that scored Matt Hillsinger (Radford), who was on base after a leadoff triple.

In the top of the third with no runners on and two out, Corey Jensen (Hillsborough CC) hit a sharp grounder to first base that bounced away from first baseman Daniel Kassouf (Belmont Abbey).Two runs scored that inning on a double by Florio. Jensen scored another unearned run in the top of the fifth after an error by Devin Rivers (NW Shoales CC), and that was it for the 'Bolts.

There were a few bright spots in the game for the Thunderbolts: Patton, reliever Brennan Wojdyla (Marist), second baseman Curtis Wilson (NW Shoales CC), and Hillsinger. Patton's ERA lowered to 2.50 after allowing one earned run in five innings, and Wojdyla pitched two scoreless innings in relief, bringing his ERA down to 2.25. Batting in the nine hole, Wilson went 2-2 with a double, a walk, and a run, improving his team bests in batting average (.271), on-base percentage (.435), OPS (.935), runs (10), and doubles (5). Hillsinger went 2-4 with a double and a triple, his second of each on the year.

The T-Bolts play the Alexandria Aces at home tonight at 6 P.M.

Kassouf went deep for the second straight game.

BETHESDA - The Thunderbolts are still winless on the road this year, losing to the league leading Bethesda Big Train last night at Shirley Povich Field.

After scheduled starter Spencer Patten (Towson) accidentally ended up in Aberdeen instead of Bethesda, reliever Nate Cudney (Belmont Abbey) was thrust in to the starter role. Through three innings, Cudney was doing fine, only allowing one run on one hit, and the Thunderbolts had the lead on a three-run home run by Big Dan Kassouf (Belmont Abbey), his second of the year.

Kassouf is now 5-8 in his past two games after starting out the season 1-17.

"It's just a little bit of getting my timing down, getting comfortable back in the box," he said. "I was just trying to square something up, I don't really know what pitch it was, I was just swinging at it."

Cudney ran into trouble in the fourth inning. Four straight hits by Mike Celenza (Salisbury), Danny Stienstra (Michigan State), Jarrod Parks (Mississippi State) and Luke Adkins (Mississippi State) led to three runs by the Big Train, giving them the 4-3 lead.

The 'Bolts were able to come back, however, as Jacob Darr (Mount St. Mary's) hit his first home run of the year in the top of the fifth to tie it up. Curtis Wilson (NW Shoales CC), the next batter, walked and got to third with no outs on an error by the pitcher, but strikeouts by Devin Rivers (NW Shoales CC) and Kyle Maldonado (New Orleans) ended the rally.

A T-Bolt error in the bottom of the fifth scored Connor Bernatz (San Francisco) and gave the Big Train the lead for good. Cudney pitched better than his final line showed: five innings, eight hits, and four earned runs

The 'Bolts had a chance to tie it up again in the bottom of the sixth. After Matt Hillsinger (Radford) walked and Casey Allison (Wingate) singled, Darr stepped up to the plate, fresh off his home run in the previous at-bat. Instead of swinging away, Darr laid down a perfect bunt, advancing both runners.

"At that point we were in a 3-1 ball game, and we needed to get a guy over," manager Jason Walck said. "I left it up to him to do what he wanted to do, and he ended up coming up big for us."

Wilson, the next batter, walked to load the bases, but Rivers struck out and Mark Hill (George Mason) flew out to right to end the threat.

"We've been talking about it for eight games now," Walck said. "That we've got to do a better job with guys on third and less than two outs. These guys just aren't focusing in, they've got the ability to [drive runners in], but we just haven't been doing that."

Stephen "Money" Miller (Salisbury) continued his spectacular year out of relief, throwing three innings and allowing only one unearned run on one hit and no walks. Miller has not allowed an earned run in 8.1 innings of work this year.

"I was just throwing strikes," Miller said. "The sliders were working, I was getting ahead in the count, and I was able to put the hitters on the defensive end of things, so I was just throwing strikes and letting my defense play."

The 'Bolts play tonight at College Park against the Bombers in a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for 5 P.M.

The Thunderbolts lost to the Bethesda Big Train today in a close one, 6-4. After a mix-up that ended up with scheduled starter Spencer Patten (Towson) in Aberdeen instead of Bethesda, reliever Nate Cudney (Belmont Abbey) started the game for the 'Bolts. Cudney allowed five runs in five innings for the loss. Down 1-0 with no outs and two runners on in the second inning, Daniel Kassouf (Belmont Abbey) hit a three-run homerun, giving the 'Bolts a lead that would last until the fourth, when four straight hits and a sacrifice fly for the Big Train led to three runs. The 'Bolts tied it up on a Jacob Darr (Mount St. Mary's) home run in the fifth,, but two runs over the next two innings for the Big Train ended it. Stephen Miller (Salisbury) pitched a great game in relief for the T-Bolts, allowing only one unearned run on one hit and no walks in three innings of work.

I'll put up a full article tomorrow.

Carden threw seven innings of shut down ball, allowing one run for the win.

SILVER SPRING - - The Thunderbolts beat the College Park Bombers yesterday, 4-1, snapping their seven game losing streak.

The 'Bolts took the lead in the bottom of the fourth, when Daniel Kassouf (Belmont Abbey) drove in Devin Rivers (NW Shoales CC) on an RBI single. Gray Carden (Wingate) handled the rest. The Thunderbolts' starter pitched seven great innings, striking out four while only allowing one run for the win. Carden's ERA in two starts this year is now 1.50.

"I was just trying to have command on my fastball," Carden said. "Early in the game get ahead in the count, and I got lucky with my offspeed early. My curveball was working, my slider was working, and we had great defense all night, so it wasn't just me, I had all the guys behind me, and they delivered in the clutch when we needed to on offense."

College Park starter Ignacio Rodriguez (Swarthmore) struggled, walking five batters and allowing three hits and one run in three innings of work for the loss. Billy Jarboe (Patrick Henry CC) came in to pitch and allowed two more runs in three innings of work.

Kassouf continued his good day at the plate in the sixth inning with a two-run home run in the sixth inning, scoring Chris Holland (George Washington). Kassouf led all Division II players with 29 home runs this year, but this was his first in the Ripken League. Kassouf finished the day 3-4 with three RBIs.

The T-Bolts' final run was scored in the top of the ninth, when Alex Bechta (Lafayette) drove in Mark Hill (George Mason) on an RBI single. Hill walked three times in the game.

Reliever Brennan Wojdyla (Marist) entered the game for the 'Bolts in the eighth, and pitched 1/13 scoreless innings. He was pulled in the ninth after allowing a single and a walk, bringing in Mike Bzozowski (Catholic). After picking off a runner at second, Bzozowski struck out Will Evans (Salisbury) on a wicked slider to end the game.

"The slider was working really well tonight," Bzozowski said. "And it feels great to finally get a win, you know, everyone's been kinda pressing hard and we finally pulled out tonight. You'd like to beat teams like this by a bit more than we did, but we'll take it any way we can get it right now."

The Thunderbolts are scheduled to play tonight in Bethesda at 7 P.M. Their next home game is on Saturday, June 20th, against the Herndon Braves at 7 P.M.

The Thunderbolts defeated the College Park Bombers tonight, 4-1, to end their seven game losing streak. Gray Carden (Wingate) got the start for the Thunderbolts, and allowed only one run in seven innings for the win. Brennan Wojdyla (Marist) and Mike Bzozowski (Catholic) combined for 2 innings of scoreless ball in relief, Bzozowski earning the save. The 'Bolts knocked Bombers' starter Ignacio Rodriguez (Swarthmore) out of the game in the third inning, and Rodriguez was handed the loss. Daniel Kassouf (Belmont Abbey) was the star of the night offensively for the 'Bolts, going 3-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Mark Hill (George Mason) walked three times, and Greg Anderson (Mesa State) of the Bombers went 2-2.

I'll post a full article tomorrow.

Casey Allison went yard, but it was not nearly enough to hold off the Big Train.

SILVER SPRING - - The Bethesda Big Train and Youse's Orioles have long been considered the Yankees and Red Sox of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League (you can pick which one is which). The Big Train only enhanced that perception by adding one of the best players in Ripken League history, Mike Celenza (Salisbury), formerly of the College Park Bombers. Last night, the Thunderbolts looked more like the Nationals.

In the first game of what turned out to be a very long doubleheader for the 'Bolts, T-Bolts' starting pitcher Vince Lloyd (Slippery Rock) ran into trouble in the first inning. Lloyd allowed two run singles to Luke Adkins (Mississippi State) and Jordan King (Meridian CC) giving the Big Train a 4-0 lead heading in to the bottom of the first.

The Big Train would not stop there, however, scoring six more runs in the sixth inning off of Lloyd and Sean Swetnam (Prince Georges CC). Swetnam allowed four runs on four hits and one walk in 1/3 of an inning pitched. The 'Bolts lost the game, 10-2.

There were some good signs from the game, however. Nate Cudney (Belmont Abbey) and Stephen Miller (Salisbury) were excellent in relief for the 'Bolts, combining for 4 2/3 scoreless innings and allowing only three hits. The Thunderbolts also played flawless defense once again, and Casey Allison (Wingate) hit a home run in the bottom of the second.

Josh Futter (James Madison) started the second game for the 'Bolts, and after opening with two scoreless innings, it looked like the things were turning for the better. However, Futter allowed six runs over the next 1 1/3 innings, and was pulled with a blood blister. Mike Loeb (Davidson) and Brennan Wojdyla (Marist) combined to allow one run in 3 2/3 innings, but the game was already out of reach. Hugh Adams (Florida Atlantic), Ryan Vander Tuig (San Jose State), and Mike Matta (Mount St. Mary's) combined to shut out the 'Bolts, and the game ended 7-0 Big Train.

The Big Train are now 8-2, while the Thunderbolts sit at 1-6. The 'Bolts play against the Bombers tomorrow, June 17th, at home against the College Park Bombers. The game is scheduled to start at 7 P.M.

Delean showed flashes of great pitching, but was handed the loss. Picture by Pete Volk.

SILVER SPRING - - Last night, in their fifth game of the season, the Thunderbolts struggled with consistency in their pitching and hitting, losing to the Rockville Express 7-3.

Blair Delean (Maryland) for the 'Bolts and Mike Howard (Connecticut-Avery Point) for the Express were the starting pitchers, each making their first appearance of the year. Both starters threw flawless first and second innings but ran into trouble in the third.

The Express led of the third inning with back to back singles by Taylor Juran (Temple) and Chris Wychock (Towson). Both scored two batters later on a two-run single by Bill Besinger (Babson). The 'Bolts were able to take the lead in the bottom of the third. Curtis Wilson (NW Shoals CC) and Alex Bechta (Lafayette) led off with singles, and Wilson scored on a Jacob Darr (Mount St. Marys) double. After a Devin Rivers walk, the Express brought in Jared Cohen (Georgetown) out of the bullpen. After a lengthy mound visit and pitching change, Cohen threw a wild pitch on his first pitch to Daniel Kassouf (Belmont Abbey), and Bechta scored to tie it up. Kassouf sent a long fly ball to left field, scoring Darr, and the 'Bolts took the lead.

The lead was not held for long, however, as Delean struggled mightily in the fourth inning. After getting Kyle LaHonta (Gonzaga) to fly out, Delean allowed a double to Ryan Geffert (Southern Connecticut). Juran drove in Geffert on a single and leadoff hitter Kevin Collins (Towson) drove in two more to secure the lead.

That was all Cohen needed, as he dominated the rest of the game. After allowing the two inherited runners to score in the third inning, Cohen threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing only two hits and walking three for the win.

"I only had one start for school this year, against UVA in the middle of the season," Cohen said. "I don't know what my pitch total was but [this appearance] was probably the most I've thrown in a while. The slider was good, it's something that is brand new to me, and that is something that was really working tonight. My arm feels fine, it never gets sore, I'm one of those guys that can always keep throwing."

The main obstacle for the Thunderbolts besides Cohen was their inability to stay consistent, both on offense and on the mound. Delean threw four great innings (the first, second, fifth, and sixth frames), but struggled greatly in the third and fourth. The 'Bolts bats were able to get on base nine times, but only once did they get more than one base runner in an inning.

"Blair came out and I thought he threw the ball very well," head coach Jason Walck said. "He just ran in to that one inning where he gave up an unfortunate couple of base hits, and they put the pressure on and we didn't react, and it's sad that it came right after we had just put up a 3-spot to take the lead. But I thought Blair threw the ball very well and he's going to be a good one for us. We've got to find a way, whether it's a bunt, a walk, or a hit batter to get runners on base, because these games are long, nine innings, and you've got to be able to scratch a run here and there rather than one three-spot."

The coach stressed that point in his post-game talk with the players.

"Well, coach talked to us at the end of the game about putting together more than one big inning and having some more consistency throughout the game," reliever Mike Bzozowski (Catholic) said. "We're not concerned, it's only five games in, and baseball's streaky, you can lose five games in a row and then win 20."

One thing that will help the 'Bolts in the near future is the arrival of star reliever Matty Ott (LSU). Ott, a freshman, is the closer for LSU, who is still playing in the College World Series. Ott set the LSU single season record for saves this year with 16, and in almost 50 innings this season he has over 60 strikeouts against only four walks. Coach Walck wouldn't go as far as to say that he is rooting against LSU so that Matty can come to the team sooner, but did comment on how much his presence will help the team.

"Well, you know, I know those guys pretty well at LSU," Walck said. "So I certainly hope that they do what everybody's dream is and win the national championship, and if they do, Matty should still be here by July 1st, but if he gets here sooner I certainly wouldn't be opposed to that either. We certainly have the guys to do it now, but it would help to have a guy of his caliber."

The Thunderbolts have a doubleheader today at home against the Bethesda Big Train. The first game starts at 5:30 P.M.

The Thunderbolts struggled both with the bat and on the mound tonight, falling to the Rockville Express 7-3. The 'Bolts are now 1-4, while the Express improve to 3-0. The Express took a two-run lead in the third on a two-run single by second baseman Bill Besinger (Babson). In the bottom of the third, Jacob Darr (Mount St. Mary's) drove in Curtis Wilson (NW Shoals CC) on a single, and Alex Bechta (Lafayette) scored on a wild pitch. Daniel Kassouf (Belmont Abbey) drove in Darr on a sacrifice fly, and the T-Bolts took the lead. It would not last long, however, as starter Blair Delean (Maryland) allowed three runs in a momentum shifting fourth inning. Delean's line of five runs (four earned) in six innings looks much worse than he actually performed. Delean pitched four hitless innings, but struggled in the third and fourth. In relief for the 'Bolts, Ryan Lapointe (George Washington) allowed two runs in three innings, but struck out five. The story of the night, however, was Express reliever Jared Cohen (Georgetown). Cohen entered the game with one out in the third, and did not allow a run in 6 2/3 innings pitched. Cohen allowed two hits and walked three while effectively shutting down the T-Bolts' attack.

The Thunderbolts have a doubleheader tomorrow against the Bethesda Big Train. The first game starts at 5:30. I'll have a full article of this game up tomorrow.