File:Baseball 2021 Noland Genies pitches from The Frederick News-Post, May 20, 2021.jpg

Summary

Brunswick baseball comes back while catching up in win over Oakdale By John Cannon from The Frederick News-Post, May 20, 2021

Frantic comebacks of one sort or another have been absolutely necessary for Brunswick’s baseball team during the past five days. First, the Railroaders had to suddenly come back from a 10-day shutdown, which resulted because a player and a coach tested positive for COVID-19, playing their belated season opener on Saturday without getting a chance to resume practice beforehand. “We were two weeks without anything,” Brunswick coach Roger Dawson. “I mean, that’s hard to come back [from]. We were looking good and we sit down for two weeks and we’ve got to come back and play baseball immediately, right on the field. And while still in the early stages of that comeback, trying to figure out where all the pieces fit during a pandemic-altered season that has been challenging for teams that didn’t even get shut down, Brunswick found itself forced to play catch-up against Oakdale on Wednesday. Down to its final two outs in the top of the seventh, Brunswick trailed by two runs to a Bears team that had led all day. But the Railroaders exploded for six runs on seven hits in the seventh, pulling out a 9-5 win that gave a lift to a team that wasn’t even practicing a week earlier. “Looking at it on that side of things and that aspect, I’m pretty proud of these guys because we’re in a big hole, 10 days off is a lot of time,” Dawson said. Yes, the Railroaders had little trouble identifying things to work on as they get back into playing mode. There were base-running mistakes, errant throws and even a pair of run-scoring balks on Wednesday. And aside from the shutdown, Railroaders senior outfielder Luke Walker is out with an injury. “We’re trying to figure some things in the outfield because of him being down,” Dawson said. “I think we have some talent. This has been very challenging so far. But we’re hoping to be there at the end.” Nonetheless, the Railroaders improved to 2-1 on Wednesday, getting a string of clutch hits in the seventh and a solid complete game from right-handed starter Noland Genies. When he walked off the mound after inducing an inning-ending groundout in the sixth, Genies had no way of knowing he’d be back pitching in the seventh. “But once we rallied two hits together, I knew that we’d be coming back out because our team just has those type of hitters,” he said. “So I was like, ‘We’ve got this.’” Genies — a left-handed hitter — had the second hit of the inning, a double to left-center that put runners on second and third. Kyle Cruz, Jared Struss and Adam Watkins followed with RBI singles, then Hunter Zalewski — who bats in the No. 9 spot — smacked an RBI ground-rule double to left-center. Oliver Ellison had the final blow of the rally, a two-run single. Oakdale’s Garrett Steele ended the threat by making an inning-ending, jumping, snow-cone catch on Joe Sweeney’s fly near the right-field fence. As the rally kept going, Brunswick first base coach Jayson Mobley yelled, ‘Make sure Noland’s throwing.’” After warming up near the dugout, Genies finished off his victory. Mixing his change-up, curve and two-seam and four-seam fastballs, the junior struck out six (four looking), walked two and scattered eight hits. Slated to be a starting pitcher two years ago until a shoulder injury limited him to being a designated hitter and first baseman, Genies bounced back after giving up three runs in the first inning. “After the first inning, he goose-egged them for awhile, until the two balks,” Dawson said. “But he did a stellar job, exactly what I needed him to do.” Oakdale starter Colin Meade also turned in a strong outing. Leaving the game after the sixth, the right-hander struck out eight, walked one and gave up two runs on eight hits. “Colin did fantastic, he threw strikes the whole way through,” Bears coach Sam Mills said. “He finishes the game if we play a little better behind him.” Oakdale (1-4) errors in the fourth and sixth helped Brunswick score a run in each of those innings. In the first inning, Meade and Nick Miller had RBI singles for the Bears.