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.
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