NEWS

By Tim Wilcox

Although the all-star rosters were announced earlier in the day, Friday’s contest between the Aces (18-9) and Giants (18-9) felt like the Mid-Summer classic. Five Gaithersburg All-Stars and eight Alexandria All-Stars took the field.

In a game with a combined 26 hits and 18 runs, the Giants’ seven-run seventh inning made the difference, propelling them to an 11-7 victory. Gaithersburg’s first six batters reached in the seventh and three batters roped two-RBI singles to create a six-run lead. Strong pitching led by Jackson Bauer’s (Hofstra) five innings and four strikeouts limited the Aces bats. The victory marked the Giants first of the season against the Aces after dropping their first three meetings in June.

Gaithersburg trailed 5-4 entering the seventh inning, and Giants head coach TJ Brockway’s message was to focus on the job at hand.

“Simplify: that’s the biggest word I try to use with my guys a lot of the time in certain situations,” Brockway said. “[I told the team] don’t let the situation get the best of you.”

The Giants scored four runs in six innings against the Cal Ripken Sr. League leader in strikeouts, Aces right-hander Zach Kwasny (Ball State). In the seventh inning, Alexandria turned to the bullpen.

With the middle of the Giants lineup coming up, Aiden Robbins (Seton Hall) doubled to lead off the frame. The next two Giants batters walked, and with bases loaded Gaithersburg tied the game as Robbins hustled home on a wild pitch.

A third walk of the inning loaded the bases again, and Barham White (Louisiana Monroe) lined a two-RBI single to push the Giants into the lead. The hit prompted an Aces pitching change, still with no outs.

Ethan McNally (Gaston) became the sixth-straight Giant to reach base to start the inning, laying down a bunt single. The hitting carousel continued as Colin Gibbs (Maryland) and Robbins each delivered two-RBI singles to stretch the Giants lead to 11-5.

Through three scoreless innings to start the game, Bauer and Kwasny appeared to be in a pitchers’ duel, but just four innings later, 16 runs had crossed home plate.

Early in the contest, Gaithersburg first applied pressure in the bottom of the second inning, singling twice to start the frame, but Kwasny came back with three straight strikeouts. The Aces got their first two hitters aboard in the fourth inning, yet Bauer navigated out without surrendering a run.

Gaithersburg broke the 0-0 contest with back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the fourth. Andrew Holub (Iowa) crushed one to deep center and on the next pitch AJ Martin (Undecided) did the same to give the Giants a 2-0 lead.

Entering the fifth, the Aces had just one hit, but then three straight players singled. Jonathan Peltier (Wright State) lifted a sacrifice fly to bring in the lone run charged to Bauer. Facing a potent Alexandria lineup, the lefty completed his start with Gaithersburg ahead 2-1 after his five innings of work.

“Barham [White] called a great game today,” Bauer said. [My approach] was mixing it up, getting them off balance, making sure [the Aces] timing wasn’t on.”

In the sixth, the Giants added runs as Jayden Brown (Eastern Kentucky) hammered an RBI double and Colin Gibbs (Maryland) brought a run in on a fielder's choice to take a 4-1 lead.

Despite the Giants momentum, the Aces responded with a four-run seventh inning to take a 5-4 lead, started by Amari Allen’s (Wabash Valley) home run. But in the bottom half of the frame, Gaithersburg followed Brockway’s instruction and executed a seven-run outburst to retake the lead.

Alexandria chipped away at their deficit in the final two innings but ran out of time. The Giants' Tanner Sanderoff (Hofstra) entered to pitch the ninth, becoming the 13th All-Star to play in the game, and limited the Aces’ late push before completing the save.

The Aces face the Braves at South County High School Saturday while the Giants take on the Thunderbolts at Montgomery Blair Stadium Saturday.