Week 4 Recap: Dusters Go 4-0 to Build First-Place Lead in the North

By Dylan Lewis, Cropdusters Social Media Assistant

After a dominant third week of play in the Ripken League, the Cropdusters looked like the juggernaut, ending up 6 games above the .500 mark. It’s safe to say, the Dusters didn’t disappoint in their fourth week of play either.

Having a day off on Monday, along with a postponement Tuesday gave the Crops time to rest and recharge, going into their game on Wednesday back at home. It was a special night, with OBGC hosting their Christmas in June night, featuring special player jerseys, large christmas inflatables, and a festive atmosphere around the ballpark. The Cropdusters certainly didn’t give the fans a stocking of coal’s worth of a game, as they defeated the Gaithersburg Giants by a score of 8-1, being finished in eight innings. The win was a true team effort, especially on the offensive side, with eight different Cropdusters driving in at least one run.

The pitching was lights out, yet again. Landon Edwards, Hudson Harrison, and Devin Aponte all combined for eight shutdown innings, striking out ten, only walking three, and giving up a total of three hits. What is even more striking is the fact that the Cropdusters staff only faced thirty three batters, which is a fairly low amount in the scope of Ripken League games.

The dominance continued into Thursday, when the Dusters headed into D.C. to play the Grays at Catholic University. The team won yet again, this time by a score of 8-1. Andrew Duncan put the Crops up early with a two run homer, which essentially put the game away from the get go. Ben Bolhouse would then add some insurance with a two run bomb of his own that put the Duster up 6-1 in the top of the seventh. Then, Andrew Duncan hit his third home run in the past twenty four hours to put the icing on the cake. Even more importantly, the Crops pitching staff was phenomenal in their second showing of the week. Nolan ross picked up the win, going four innings and only giving up three hits and one run. The bullpen shut things down from there, with Mac Crismond, Kyle Rogers, and Brennen Tomhave putting together five incredible innings of one-hit baseball.

The Dusters headed back home on Friday, to take on the Thunderbolts to kick off the weekend. It was yet another 7-1 result that gave the Crops their third win of the week, with the offense stringing together eleven hits, and the pitching showing out once more. Logan Hartman, Carson Kelm, Ben Jones, and Joey Zito put up arguably one of the best outings of the year, combining to only give up three hits, one run, and facing only thirty one batters.

To wrap up the week, the Cropdusters stayed at home on Saturday, playing a two game doubleheader set against the Alexandria Aces. What made the atmosphere even more exciting was the fact that it was KNine Rescue Night, an event where fans, players, coaches, and staff got an opportunity to meet some incredible Rescue Dogs and have a chance to learn about the KNine Rescue organization, and all the amazing work they do.

As for the games, the Dusters came out strong in the first, winning 10-1, while having their second game suspended due to rain. As of now, the score is 8-6 in the top of the fifth inning, and play is to be resumed at a later date. The first game was completed in seven innings, with Marco Levari taking home the win pitching a superb five innings. Ryan Bouma homered and drove in four runs to mark the offensive output. In the second game, Cade Walter homered and the Crops put up a plethora of runs, before the Aces started crawling back into the game right before it was suspended.

This upcoming week is one of the biggest of the summer. While there are only two home games, it is the week of America’s 250th Birthday! The Cropdusters will host a 6:00 PM game on July Third, also known as Fastballs & Fireworks. Fans who purchased tickets will have the opportunity to see some amazing college baseball action, along with a stellar fireworks show, hosted by OBGC.

The Cropdusters now sit at 16-6; ten games above .500 and holding a 2.5 game lead over the Bethesda Big Train. Going into week number five, your Cropdusters look to keep their five game win streak going, and staying atop the Ripken League.