One thing you can count on when Carter Brown (VA Tech) and Mike Mnich (Alderson & Broaduss) are pitching, opponents’ batting averages will take a nose drive and the score will be tight. Recovered from a sharp line drive to the shoe in his last start, Brown went to work in game one against the Crushers of Winston-Salem.
Crusher’s starter Wade Wyatt (North Greenville) got the scoring started in the bottom of the third with a base on balls, a stolen base, and scored the game’s first run on an infield error. Things got worse for the Rails in the third when John McDermott (Limestone University) belted a two run dinger to put the Rails in a 3-0 hole.
In the top of the fifth DJ Russ (Emory & Henry) did what he does best, and singled to start the inning. Catcher Jack Elliott (Hampden-Sydney) a likeable, Bunyon-esque fellow from the suburbs of Pittsburgh then took the game in his hands, launching a towering home run to close the scoring gap to 3-2. In the meantime Brown found his stride, striking out eight in the game, including five in his last two innings.
Trailing by a run in the seventh, Russ worked a lead-off walk and was replaced by pinch runner Chris Mitko (Cal U of PA). Elliott then doubled, moving Mitko to third base, bringing outfielder Brian Kluge (Roanoke College) to the plate. Kluge is known as a patient hitter with front line speed and great bat control. Coach Jeremy Sink had all the ingredients he needed for a perfect squeeze play. Breaking from third base Mitko bolted for the plate, Kluge laid the bunt down and beat out an infield single. Lincoln Evans (Lynchburg College) drew a walk to load the bases, and Roanoke College second baseman Bradley Mattox knocked in the go ahead run with a solid base hit.
Doom met the Crushers in the bottom half of the seventh. Rails closer deluxe Steven Ball (Lehigh University) showed no mercy to the home folks, vaporizing Winston-Salem with three consecutive strikeouts to end the game and present Rails veteran Kyle Bandujo (Texas Perminan-Basin) with his first career win after working a scoreless sixth.
Game two was yet another well pitched game as Mike Mnich faced Former Lexington Chop right hander Tyler Lequire (Brevard College). Mitko was back on the base paths again in game two, knocking a lead-off single in the second, stealing both second and third base, and scoring on a ground ball by Will Cline (UVA-Wise). The Crushers tied up the contest in the fourth on a Nicholas Boles (Winston-Salem St.) single, stolen base, and Houston Ison’s (Rockingham CC) RBI single.
Mnich and Lequire continued to hold batters down, the game knotted at one and going into extra innings. Joshua James’ (MD Eastern Shore) single in the bottom of the ninth scored Ison and ended the ballgame and gave Winston-Salem a 2-1 victory. Mnich was sensational for the second straight start, striking out four and allowing just four hits.
The Rails will be home this weekend for Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders against the Virginia Marlins and the Fuqua-Varina Twins.