Lake Shore 12U Graysox Erupt For 22 Runs In Victory

By Colin Murphy

After kicking off the season by winning the Lake Shore Showdown tournament in early April, the 12U Lake Shore Graysox improved to 2-0 in Baltimore Metro League play, and 8-5 on the season with a 22-7 victory over the Pasadena Eagles at Havenwood on May 2. Productive plate appearances won the day for the Graysox, as every player on the roster reached base at least once. Head Coach Jay Brown sees the team’s mindset and mental approach at the plate improving with each game.

“They’re always loose,” said Brown after the game. “Some people would say that’s bad, but in a way, they have just the right amount of relaxedness. They don’t put too much pressure on themselves.”

True to their coach’s word, the Graysox remained poised throughout the game vs. Pasadena. After falling behind 3-0 after two innings, the Graysox rallied in the bottom of the second. A walk by Brandon Bellamy was followed by consecutive singles off the bats of Cameron McCartney, Dylan Gilbert, Timmy Steele, and Kyle Kress, producing three runs for the Graysox. Dustin Gosnell book-ended the rally with an RBI walk to give the Graysox a 4-3 lead.

The lead was short-lived, however, as Pasadena responded with four runs of their own in the top of the third, reclaiming the lead at 7-4. The unflappable Graysox lineup once again rose to the occasion in the bottom of the inning, beginning with a single off the bat of Connor Fletcher, followed by a McCartney double. Stepping to the plate with two runners on, Gilbert put a charge into the second pitch he saw, belting a home run to deep left center to tie the game at 7-7. After the home run, an amped-up Graysox squad started a fresh rally, beginning with a walk by Dustin Gosnell, followed by four consecutive singles off the bats of Cameron Clark, Jesse Roat, Justin Umstot, and Fletcher once again, giving the Graysox a 12-7 lead at the end of three.

Umstot pitched a scoreless top of the fourth for the Graysox, who went to work again at the plate in the bottom half of the inning. Gilbert led off the inning with an encore performance, smacking a solo shot to center field, extending the Graysox lead to 13-7. At that point, the rout was on, as base hits by James Angel, Clark, Umstot, and Fletcher, combined with walks drawn by several Graysox batters made for a nine-run inning. Umstot pitched a scoreless fifth inning to close out the win by the final score of 22-7.

With the mercy-rule victory, the Graysox gave themselves a confidence-booster as they head towards a full schedule of ultra-competitive summer tournaments. Head Coach Jay Brown is confident in his team’s ability to rebound after losses and stay grounded after big wins.

“They’re getting older and maturing,” said Coach Brown of his players, “and they’re able to learn from their mistakes. They came together to win their home tournament [in April], and today they hit the ball really well. We’re absolutely getting better.