CCBC Essex Defeats Raptors In High-Scoring Affair

Germantown, MD — There were runs aplenty on Thursday afternoon as CCBC Essex outslugged Montgomery College Raptors, 15-8. The Knights tallied 14 hits, while the Raptors collected seven in a game packed with offensive fireworks.

CCBC Essex cracked the scoreboard in the fourth inning when sophomore Rafael Castillo (Queens, NY / High School for Construction Trades, Engineering, and Architecture) launched a two-run home run to left field.

Montgomery responded in the bottom half of the inning, taking the lead behind a run-scoring single from Justin Payan and a two-RBI double from Hayden Hair.

In the fifth, the Knights stormed back to a 5-3 lead. Castillo drew a bases-loaded walk, and freshman Connor Bailey (Salisbury, MD / Parkside HS) followed with a two-run single.

The sixth inning was a breakout frame for CCBC Essex, who plated five runs on six hits. Sophomore Jimmy Perez (Queens, NY / High School for Arts and Business) delivered an RBI single, freshman Michael Amadio (Lusby, MD / Patuxent HS) knocked in two, Castillo added an RBI single, and an error brought in another.

The Raptors answered with five runs of their own in the bottom half. Hair crushed a grand slam to center field, and Mickey Anderson added a solo homer to left.

CCBC Essex sealed the deal in the seventh, scoring another five runs. Sophomore Maxwell Urena (Brooklyn, NY / Christ the King) and Perez had RBI singles, sophomore Eduardo Zayas (Cidra, PR / Bilingual Education School at Cidra) drove in two runs with a base hit, and Zayas later scored on a sac fly.

Sophomore Logan Bennett (Forest Hills, NY / Forest Hills HS) earned the win, improving to 2-2. He threw four innings, allowing three hits and three runs while striking out one. Freshman Austin Shiflett (Dundalk, MD / Sparrows Point HS) came in as relief to close out the game.

Perez led the Knights with a 3-for-4 day at the plate. Amadio and Castillo each drove in three runs. Zayas, Urena, Carroll, Bailey, and Perez all had multi-hit performances. Castillo drew two walks, and the team totaled seven on the day. Bailey and Ethan Holland (Salisbury, MD / Parkside HS) each stole multiple bases, helping Essex rack up seven swipes overall. Defensively, the Knights played a clean game with zero errors.

Hair went 2-for-4 with six RBIs to lead Montgomery, while Erick Machado also collected two hits.

The Knights improve to 21-21 on the season and travel to College of Southern Maryland for a 1 PM matchup on Tuesday.