Big Train defeat Aces with late comeback in second round of playoffs

By Scott Zolotorow

In their first playoff game of the 2014 Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League playoffs, the Bethesda Big Train used a late-inning comeback to beat the Alexandria Aces 5-3, in large part due to three big errors by the Aces. Alexandria defeated the Gaithersburg Giants the night before in the first round of the playoffs in order to face the number one seeded Big Train.

The Aces led from very beginning of the game after the CRCBL’s leading hitter, Josh Swirchak (Wilmington University) led the game off with a double. Swirchak and Ash Fulmer (Houston) came around to score on a Danny Bermudez (Western Carolina) two RBI single, giving the Aces an early 2-0 lead.

The Big Train answered in the bottom of the first, scoring one after a Logan Farrar (VCU) double was followed up by a Chris Lewis (Sacramento State) RBI single.

With a 2-1 lead, Ace’s starting pitcher Sean Thompson (Texas Tech) took over, dominating the Big Train from the second to seventh innings. Along the way, his team added another run in the fifth on a Clark Pence (Northern Kentucky) RBI single.

It seemed like the Big Train couldn’t find a break, stranding the bases loaded in the third and sixth innings against Thompson. Big Train starter Sean Labsan (Florida Atlantic) did his part to keep the Big Train in the game until he was pulled with two outs in the fifth and Taylor Stiles (Maryland) was given the ball.

Stiles came in and completely shut down the Aces, going 4 1/3 innings and allowing just four base runners, while striking out seven.

In the seventh inning, the Big Train finally got to Thompson, but through no fault of his own. With two outs and two runners on, Brandon Lowe (Maryland) hit a fly ball to right field that was dropped by Aces’ right fielder Ryan Lukach (Hartford). This scored catcher Tony DiLeo (Eastern Michigan) and put Lowe on second. Lowe scored on a Chris Lewis RBI double off reliever Austin Dykes (Georgia College and State), tying the game at 3-3.

Stiles came back out in the eighth and shut down the Aces, giving the Big Train an opportunity to take the lead in the bottom of the inning. They did just that, thanks again to two errors by the Aces’ defense. After an Andrew Brown (San Diego State) pinch-hit single and a Cody Brown (Mississippi State) walk to lead off the inning, a few passed balls moved them around the bases while scoring Andrew Brown. A Stephen Alemais (Tulane) single scored Cody Brown and the Big Train led 5-3.

Instead of going to another reliever to finish the game, the Big Train stuck with Stiles for the ninth to face the 3-4-5 hitters of the Aces. Stiles struck out the side, three-up, three-down to propel the Big Train past the Aces.

“Today, just everything clicked,” Stiles said. “I felt mechanically shaky at times throughout the summer, but was able to find the zone today.”

After the first elimination round, in which the Aces defeated the Giants and the Rockville Express beat the Youse’s Orioles, the playoffs become a double-elimination tournament. The Big Train take on the Baltimore Redbirds tonight, who defeated the Rockville Express 11-2 yesterday. The Express and Aces will battle, where the winner and advances to play the loser of the Big Train and Redbirds matchup.

The Big Train have won the CRCBL four out of the nine years of its existence.