NEWS

Written by Jack Stashower

 

The Olney Cropdusters defeated the DC Grays in a high scoring 17-8 matchup in Woodbridge, Virginia on Monday. 

 

The Cropdusters came into this game with a 21-13 record and the #3 seed secured for the Cal Ripken League playoffs. Their last game was a 13-4 win over the Southern Maryland Senators at Regency Furniture Stadium on Sunday.

 

The DC Grays entered this game with a 16-19 record and a chance to clinch the #4 seed in the playoffs. Their last game was a 10-3 loss on Sunday to the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts.

 

The Cropdusters made the game their own with 12 runs in the top of the first. Cade Walter (Jacksonville) scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch. Zakye Hawkins (Utah) followed that up by scoring on a wild pitch himself, giving the Cropdusters an early 2-0 lead. With the bases loaded, Tyler Cook (Gaston) was plunked, scoring Jimmy Kirk (Millersville). Then a walk to Will Henson (VCU) brought in Walker Zampella (East Stroudsburg). 

 

The top of the first was far from over. With the bases still loaded, Brian Scott (Frostburg State) walked to score Andrew Kell (Salisbury) before Cook scored himself on a wild pitch. The Cropdusters, up by six, had only scored half of their runs at this point in the inning.

 

A single to right by Hawkins his second time up brought home Henson and Scott to increase the lead to eight. A groundout by Kirk then brought home Walter from third to increase the lead to nine. Hawkins then scored on a wild pitch to make the score 10-0. Cook’s single to center with the bases loaded brought home the final two runners of the inning, Austin Stalker (West Chester) and Zampella. Seventeen Cropdusters came up to the plate in an inning that felt like it would never end.

 

The Grays however would add some excitement to the game in the bottom of the third. With two outs and two runners on, Ryan Soong (Washington) hit a towering homer to left field, bringing in Ayden Ellis (Rutgers) and Joey Chitla (Wofford). The Grays were on the board and the deficit, while still large, was reduced to nine. 

 

In the top of the fourth, Kell hit a home run of his own over the left field fence, increasing the lead back to double digits, 13-3. 

 

The Grays continued to show some fight in the bottom of the fourth. A single to right by Noel Rivera (Marist) brought home Marc Quarrie (Wofford) to make it 13-4. With Soong up to bat and the bases loaded, a hit by pitch scored the Grays fifth runner, Andy Rivera (Holy Family). A walk by Joe Marini (Catholic) brought in Noel Rivera and decreased the deficit to seven.

 

The Cropdusters responded with two runs in the top of the fifth. Solo home runs by both Kirk and Stalker increased the Cropdusters lead to nine on the night. Stalker would add another RBI in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Hawkins and increasing the lead to ten. 

 

Marini notched another RBI in the bottom of the seventh for the Grays with a single to center, scoring TJ Addonizio (Richmond). The score stood at 16-7 after seven. 

 

In the top of the eighth, a single to right by Walter brought home Cook to give the Cropdusters their 17th run of the game. 

 

In the bottom of the eighth, a double to right by Addonizio brought home Dixon Monk (Georgetown) to decrease the deficit to nine. That was all the Grays could muster up in an action packed game that finished 17-8.

 

The Cropdusters finished the 2025 regular season with a 22-13 record, good enough for the #3 seed in the playoffs. The Grays finished with a 16-20 record and will remain as the #5 seed going into the 2025 playoffs.