FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
CARY, N.C. — Sophomore’s Jackie Bradley, Jr. (South Carolina) and Drew Maggi (Arizona State) combined for six of the Blue squads 10 hits in the second game of the Collegiate National Team (CNT) Trials at the National Training Complex (NTC). The nine-inning affair ended in a five-all tie when Peter O’Brien (Bethune-Cookman) singled home a pair of runs in the eighth frame.
Trailing 5-3 with one out in the eighth Maggi drew a walk, which was followed by a single off the bat of Bradley, Jr. Both runners advanced on a strikeout and trotted home on O’Brien’s lone hit of the evening back up the middle.
Jett Bandy (Arizona) drove in the games first run in the top of the third on a sac fly to center that scored George Springer (Connecticut). Springer collected the games first hit with a shot through the left side off Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) and promptly swiped second before landing on third after Steve Rodriguez (UCLA) grounded out to short.
The Red team pushed across its second run of the night in the fourth thanks to an RBI single to right center off the bat of Taylor Featherston (Texas Christian), the first of his two RBIs. Taylor Dugas (Alabama) started the inning with a single to center then stole second before crossing home on Featherston’s lone base hit.
Nick Martini (Kansas State) put Blue on the board in the bottom half of the fifth with a single to left that plated Ryan Wright (Louisville), cutting the lead to 2-1. Martini, who tied O’Brien and Featherston with two RBIs, added a bases loaded walk in the seventh.
Back-to-back doubles from Maggi and Bradley, Jr. in the sixth pulled the Blue team even with the Red before each squad went tit-for-tat in the seventh and eight frames.
Brian Johnson (Florida) tossed three perfect innings with five strikeouts in the start for the Red squad, while Sean Gilmartin (Florida State) and Nick Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) were equally effective in their outings for the Blue.
Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) toed the rubber for the Blue to start the contest working 3 2/3 innings where he allowed two runs (both earned) on three this with four punch outs and two strikeouts.
The CNT Trials resume Thursday with a 10 a.m. morning session, which will be followed by a Red vs. Blue game at 7 p.m.
Notes: CNT invitees Dylan Floro (Cal State Fullerton), Nolan Fontana (Florida) and Brian Johnson (Florida) were named First-Team Freshman All-America by Baseball America Wednesday afternoon … Thursday Trial game has been moved back to a 7 p.m. first pitch with batting practice beginning at 5:30 p.m.
