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After nearly two years away, the Bethesda Big Train returned to Povich Field Saturday night, opening their 2021 campaign with an exhibition game against the Silver Spring--Takoma Thunderbolts. A rematch of the 2019 CRCBL Championship – the last time Bethesda took the field – Big Train triumphed over the Thunderbolts in walk-off fashion, 7-6.

A fairly quiet first two innings saw Big Train score one run on an RBI from Darius Foster (San Francisco), but the T-Bolts got on the board soon after and the exhibition game was tied. After Luke Baker (Jacksonville) struck out the side in the top of the third, Bethesda’s bats started to come alive in the bottom half. Hits from Foster, Nolan Schanuel (Florida Atlantic), Rocco Peppi (Long Beach State), and Austin Gauthier (Undecided) put the Big Train up, 5-1.

But as the game went on, the Thunderbolts to worked their way back into it, pulling within one. In the bottom of the seventh, Big Train catcher Grant Knipp (Alabama) scorched a home run just over the right center field fence, extending the lead to two. But the Thunderbolts evened the score with two in the eighth to knot the game at 6.

Tied going into top of the ninth, Big Train reliever Ryan Metz (Virginia Tech) stalled the Thunderbolts and kept the game even. Two Thunderbolt errors allowed Kyle Velasquez (Saint Mary’s CA) to advance to third, and a fielder's choice brought Foster up. He delivered with another fielder's choice on a grounder to short, bringing home the winning run in walk-off fashion. 7-6.

The team will be back in action Sunday for their second and final exhibition game against BCC Little Train.