Baltimore’s Redbirds win second straight Ripken League title
Redbirds’ pitcher Jack Fischer (Photo / Baltimore Redbirds)
Two area teams, the Baltimore Redbirds and Bethesda Big Train of the Ripken League, have winning systems in place that their big league counterparts would do well to copy. The Big Train captured the league title in 2009 – 2011, while the Redbirds notched their second straight title Sunday with a 4-1 victory over the Big Train at Shirley Povich Field. As previously reported, the past five championships have pitted the two rivals against each other.
The Redbirds clinched the title without the need for a second game Sunday behind the strong pitching of a trio of hurlers. Starter Luke Curtis (Pitt) worked the first two innings, yielding no runs on one hit. Jack Fischer (Wake Forest) provided long relief, working 6 and 1/3, allowing two hits, one run, and fanning six to earn the win.
Brandon Hinkle (Delaware) closed things out for the Redbirds with 2/3 innings of relief work in the top of the 9th.
Baltimore had just four hits but plated four runs, three of them earned. Matt Campbell’s (UNC) RBI single in the eighth would ultimately prove the difference as he drove in fellow Redbird RJ Dennard (Armstrong Atlantic).
Tom Flynn has contributed to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. He compiled the photo history, Baseball in Baltimore, in 2008 and has written one novel, Venable Park. Check out Tom’s journal at boxerjournal.com