Aces Ride Strong Pitching to Play-in Win vs. Grays

By Ellie Rand

The Alexandria Aces put together nothing short of a complete performance on Thursday night, riding a dominant effort from the pitching staff and aggressive offense to a 6-1 victory over the D.C. Grays in the first round of the CRSCBL Playoffs. The No. 6 Aces move on to the Wildcard Game to face the No. 4 Metro South County Braves, while the No. 7 Grays’ season is done.

Alexandria got the performance it had been looking for from its pitching staff. Starting pitcher Jack Rucker (Salisbury) set the tone with five scoreless innings, giving up just five hits and striking out four. Braxtyn Vackar (Southeastern) followed with two scoreless frames before Finn Patrick (Rhodes) closed out the final two innings, limiting the Grays to an unearned run.

“All season we’ve been waiting for a pitching performance like tonight’s,” Aces head coach Brian Wirth said. “We’ve been waiting for the pitching staff to put something together and put us in a good spot to win a game.”

Alexandria’s offense backed its pitchers with 11 hits, breaking through on the scoreboard in the second inning. After a single from Shraden Lechtenberg (Black Hawk College) and a walk from Jack Warner (UPenn), Brad Larson (Wofford) lined a two-run triple into the right field gap to give the Aces an early 2-0 advantage.

The lead grew to three in the fourth inning when Larson came around to score on Liam Irving’s (Allegheny) RBI double.

The Aces extended their advantage once again in the fifth. Hunter White (West Liberty) worked a leadoff walk before Daniel McGinnis (Shepherd) singled to put two aboard for Matthew Pazak (UPenn), who launched a three-run homer to center field, stretching the lead to 6-0. 

Pazak finished with three RBIs, while Larson added two on a 2-for-3 night. Lechtenberg paced the offense with three hits, and White reached base three times.

Alexandria’s pitching staff controlled the game from the outset. The Grays threatened in the second frame with three hits, but Rucker escaped without allowing a run. D.C. managed just two hits over the next six innings before scoring its lone run in the ninth on a pair of Alexandria errors.

Wirth mentioned, “If we get a good start from our pitching staff, we know we’ll have a good chance to beat anyone in this league.”

The Aces will carry that mindset into Friday’s matchup against the Braves.

Wirth also credited both the pitching staff and his club’s approach over the final innings, a mindset he has dubbed the “12 Out Aces.”

“The last 12 outs of the ballgame, it’s a philosophy adapted on the fly,” Wirth explained. “We put pressure on the other team to end the game, grind out at-bats, make the pitchers work, put the ball in play, take our walks, and make their defense work.”

Wirth also praised his team’s attitude throughout the season.

“These guys have great energy, especially early in the season, and they have carried it through to the end,” he said. “I’m really appreciative to have a group of players sticking with it until the end.”

The Aces will look to carry their momentum from Thursday night’s victory into a tough matchup Friday. 

Alexandria went 4-3 against the Braves in the regular season, including three victories in four games at South County High School, outscoring Metro South County 45-44 across the season series. The Aces will look to continue that success and keep their postseason run alive.