NEWS

By Marc Goldstein

As the first pitch was thrown at Frank Mann Field, there was a palpable buzz in the air. The Alexandria Aces were defending the first title in team history and there was strong belief that the next Cal Ripken Sr. League dynasty was in view. Although the postseason is incredibly far away, for one night, the Aces looked to be well on their way to the same type of greatness that propelled them to the pedestal last season as they defeated the Thunderbolts, 11-3.

The game did not exactly start on the best of terms for the reigning champions. With one out in the top of the first, Silver Spring’s Joseph Kaleck (West Chester) doubled to right. A walk to Coleman Calabrese (James Madison) set the stage for a blooper by Trystan Crawford (Lehigh) to drive in the first run of the game. Zane Gross (Barry University) also drove in a run with a hard groundball to left.

However, Aces hurler Anthony Ehly (Seton Hall) wiggled out of the jam without surrendering any more damage. After the first inning, he settled into the game as he was able to control the pace and get ahead of hitters.

“I thought (Ehly) threw the ball well the whole time,” Alexandria skipper Chris Berset said. “(Brandon) Coughlin (Lehigh) hasn’t played much center and he had a little bit of a misread on a ball off the bat and I thought he should have caught it and then the next ball was a grounder to first which would have gotten (Ehly) out of the inning without giving up a run.”

Ehly was, in fact, dominant for the vast majority of his start. The righty was able to get ahead in the count with his fastball and use his offspeed pitches, particularly his slider, to keep the Thunderbolts off balance. He found his stride at the end of the second inning where he began a streak of 10 straight batters retired, including three of his seven punchouts.

Ehly ended his day going five strong innings, giving up 2 runs, neither of which were earned, and giving up a mere four hits while striking out the aforementioned seven batters and walking just the two in the first inning.

While Ehly was shut down the Thunderbolts offense, the Aces were having their way with Thunderbolts starter Brayden Stutzman (Wilson College) who surrendered five straight walks to give the Aces a pair of runs before catcher Tim Nicholson (George Washington) drove in the third run of the second inning with a single.

The score would remain 3-2 until the fourth when walks hurt Stutzman again as he walked the first two batters of the inning before being pulled in favor of his college teammate, Emilio Rodriguez (Wilson College). The results were rather similar at first for Rodriguez, who hit the first two batters he faced, the second of which brought home a run. Another run would score after a wild pitch got away, but a double play–the second of the game for the Thunderbolts–ended the frame.

The score held at 7-2 until the top of the sixth when Thunderbolts catcher Bowman Wingard (Macalester College) cut into the deficit with an RBI double.

Another pitching change for Silver Spring-Takoma saw TyShawn Sellers (Chowan) enter the game and post a zero for his squad, but Reese Crochet (George Washington) would do the same thing for the opposition. A Nicholson sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh extended the Alexandria lead.

In the eighth, the Aces extended the lead even more to ensure there would be no miracle comeback in the works. An RBI double by one of the youngest players in the league, Matt Ossenfort (Vanderbilt) was his second knock of the night, making him the only player in the game to record multiple hits.

“With (Ossenfort), you have a young kid and you don’t know how he is going to be,” Berset said. “One thing I have learned about him is that he is very mature for his age and that is going to pay massive dividends for him when he gets to Vanderbilt.”

On the mound, Berset was able to go to a trio of arms that all flashed brilliance in their outings: Crochet, a tricky lefty; Joshua Rivera (UMBC), a hard-throwing righty; and Michael Gillen (Seton Hall), a crafty pitcher who induces contact. The pitching staff being a strength is something that bodes very well for the Aces as they look to win a second title in as many years.