Cropdusters Sweep Braves to Advance to First LCS Finals

By Ellie Rand

Box Score

LORTON, Va. – For the first time in franchise history, the Olney Cropdusters are headed to the Cal Ripken Sr. League Championship Series.

The No. 1 Cropdusters completed a two-game sweep of the No. 4 Metro South County Braves with a 4-2 victory Sunday night to punch their ticket to the finals. Olney will face the winner of Monday night’s Game 3 semifinal between the No. 2 Bethesda Big Train and No. 3 Southern Maryland Senators.

After Olney opened the series with a 3-1 triumph behind eight scoreless innings from left-hander Kyle Rogers (West Chester) on Saturday, the Cropdusters leaned on another strong performance from their pitching staff to finish the job on Sunday.

Starter Nolan Ross (Dickinson) kept the Braves off the scoreboard for 5.2 innings, scattering four hits and striking out five. 

Although he worked around traffic all night, Ross repeatedly found a way out of trouble, including escaping an important second-inning threat. The Braves put runners on second and third with one out before retired the next two hitters on strikes to close the inning.

Olney had grabbed the lead in the top of the second inning despite entering the game with little offensive momentum after barely squeezing by to earn a victory the night before.

Caderyn Ahearn (Lehigh) drove a single down the right-field line, and Maximus Wearing (Rutgers) followed up by shooting an opposite-field double into left, putting two runners in scoring position for Brian Scott (Frostburg State). 

Scott, the hero from Game 1, wasted no time, jumping on the first pitch and lacing a line-drive double into the right-center field gap to score both runners and grant the Cropdusters an early 2-0 lead.

The Braves had opportunities to answer throughout the game but couldn’t capitalize. They left runners in scoring position in each of the first, second, third, and fifth innings as Ross continued pitching out of trouble.

One of the biggest turning points came in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Owen Peltier (VMI) was initially ruled safe at first after lining a ball to shortstop, but the umpires conferenced and overturned the call for the second out of the inning. 

Instead of putting another runner aboard and giving the Braves life with just one out, the inning quickly ended, preserving Olney’s two-run lead.

The momentum swung moments later as Olney capitalized with two insurance runs.

Leading off in the eighth, Dylan Melton (Florida Atlantic) was hit by a pitch, followed by a walk to Sammy Berman (Maryland). The pair then executed a perfectly timed double steal, moving into scoring position with nobody out and setting the stage for the Cropdusters’ biggest offensive inning.

After Patrick Gozdan (West Chester) drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases, Ahearn hammered a two-run single to center that scored Melton and Berman, stretching the lead to 4-0.

But Metro South County refused to go quietly.

Robert Kelly (Monmouth) sparked the Braves’ comeback attempt in the bottom of the eighth, crushing a deep drive to right field that bounced off the wall for a leadoff triple. Ayden Albright (VMI) followed in his footsteps, rolling a slow dribbler just fair down the third-base line and beating the throw to first, allowing Kelly to score and cutting the deficit to three.

The Braves threatened again in the ninth with two outs. Peltier delivered a crucial blooper single into center field to get the Braves going. 

Christopher Krese Jr. (Stevens Tech) was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. Kelly became the hero once again, driving an RBI single into right field to make it 4-2 and bring the tying run to the plate. But the Braves' night came to a close, as reliever Ben Jones (West Chester) retired the next hitter to end the rally and secure the series-clinching victory.

Jones earned the save, striking out seven over the final 3 1/3 innings and allowing two runs while repeatedly overpowering Braves hitters. Together, Ross and Jones combined for 12 strikeouts.

Although Olney managed just four hits, the Cropdusters made them count. Scott finished with two RBIs on his second-inning double, while Ahearn went 2-for-3 and drove in two more with his eighth-inning single.

Metro South County out-hit Olney 8-4, with Kelly leading the way by going 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored, while Peltier tallied two hits. The Braves, however, stranded 11 runners and couldn’t overcome missed opportunities against Olney’s pitching staff.

Now, after sweeping the Braves and allowing just three total runs in the series, the Crodusters are hungry to win their first-ever CRSCBL Championship.