Aces win shootout in Gaithersburg
A nine run third inning sprung the Aces to a 17-8 victory in Gaithersburg on Monday night.
After an uncharacteristic start from Jared Lyons (George Mason) in which he gave up four runs and walked four in three innings, the offense battled back to get the win.
The Aces used two big innings to help get the victory. The first came in the top of the third. In that frame, the Aces sent 12 batters to the plate and scored nine runs on eight hits. Each of the nine hitters in the lineup reached base in the inning and all but one scored at least once.
T.J. McKenzie (Vanderbilt) singled to start the inning and later knocked in three runs with a triple. McKenzie scored both times he reached in the third.
Max Romero (Vanderbilt) and Scotty Morgan (George Mason) each extended their respective streaks in the third inning. Romero homered to extend his on base streak to 13 games, while Morgan singled and scored to extend his hitting streak to 14.
The second of the big innings came in the eighth. It was the second time the Aces batted around in the game, this time sending 11 hitters to the plate. They scored six times, but didn’t even register a hit. Six walks, two hit batters and an error helped the Aces plate six in the inning.
Adam Schwartz (UConn) was the Aces’ best pitcher in the ball game. He threw four innings in relief of Lyons, giving up one run on five hits and striking out three.
Schwartz started the game in left field and when the Aces brought him into pitch, didn’t realize they forfeited their right for a designated hitter.
That led to a fun moment in the top of the ninth, when Phil D’Ambrosio (Lynchburg) had to take an at-bat. D’Ambrosio was able to make contact, hitting a ball up the middle and beating it out for a base hit.
That single from the righty reliever was the cherry on top in the Aces’ big win on Monday. The team is back in action Tuesday night in Bethesda against the Big Train.
First pitch will be at 7 p.m. and you can catch all the action on mixlr.com/alexandriaaces.