ADAM RUSSELL WINS HOME RUN DERBY --NEWNAN TIMES-HERALD

'Big' bat wins Home Run Derby
By Stuart Crosby

The Times-Herald

If ESPN was in attendance Thursday at Northgate High for the Great South League Championship Series Home Run Derby, announcer Chris Berman would have liked Adam Russell's evening.
Representing the Alabama Big Train, Russell drilled a total of 20 home runs in three rounds to win the event and walk away with a $100 giftcard from event sponsor Toyota of Newnan and a commemorative bat from the league.
In the first round, Russell and Newnan Braves player Edmond Sparks went "back, back, back" four times each while Nick Brennen of the Augusta Nationals had home runs.
A tie for fourth place existed between Ryan Lloyd of the Braves, John Hennecken of the Nationals along with Tennessee Styx teammates Michael Brown and Tyler Cross.
An extra round was needed for the foursome with Brown qualifying for the second round as two of his hits hit the fence.
In the second round, Russell came alive with six long balls while Sparks drilled three, Brennen hit one and Brown hit the wall again.
The championship round would feature Russell and Sparks who were tied for the lead in the GSL home run race during the regular season and that is where the Big Train first baseman came to life as he drilled pitch after pitch over the fence.
The home run barrage came much to the chagrin of the many outfielders that consisted of three teams from the Sharpsburg AABC League and Newnan Braves player Zach Farmer.
Farmer may have had the strongest effort of the evening by serving as the catcher the entire evening under very hot temperatures while youthful members of the Cardinals, Indians and Red Sox simply wanted to chase baseballs.
When Russell hit the final out of the round off his father Greg Russell, he finished with a total of 10 while Sparks struggled with a pair of home runs in the round to finish with nine.

Big Train Prepares for Playoffs

Adam Russell will be representing the Big Train Wednesday night in the HR Derby at Newnan and Tournament play begins Thursday night. A complete schedule will be available soon.

Train Downs Stars 13-2

Adam Russell had 6 RBI's including a 2 run Homer and a line drive double to pace the Big Train to a 13-2 win over the visiting Georgia Stars from LaGrange, Georgia. Trey Vice (5-0) pitched a 6 inning, 2 hit game with 1 earned run. The Train had a 6 run 3rd inning and a 6 run 6th inning to continue to advance toward the GSL playoffs with today's win. The Big Train plays the Tennessee Styx in Chattanooga tomorrow.

Train Comes Back to Beat Braves (Newnan Times-Herald)

Four-run fifth costs Newnan Braves against Big Train
By Stuart Crosby

The Times-Herald

BIRMINGHAM-The Alabama Big Train scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and held off a late rally to defeat the Newnan Braves 7-5 in a Great South League game played Friday afternoon at Lawson State Community College.
The loss dropped the Braves to 7-7 as they host the Georgia Stars this afternoon at 12:30 at the Heritage School.
The game was scoreless in the first three innings a Bryan Blough of the Braves and Big Train ace Trey Vice had a solid pitching battle brewing.
The Braves had the first opportunity to break the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning as Jesse Wierzbicki reached on an infield error, Edmond Sparks walked and Brandon Behenna loaded the bases on a bloop single to right.
However, Vice recovered to retire the next two batters on strikeouts and ended the inning as Zach Farmer grounded out to second.
The Big Train got on the board in the bottom of the inning as Braves starter Bryan Blough allowed an unearned run to score on a single by Saxon Butler while a second run came home when Adam Russell hit into a double play.
Newnan came back in the top of the fifth inning and was able to get some offense off Vice as nine batters went to the plate with three runs scoring.
The first batter of the inning was retired on a groundout, then Derek Hooper and Justin Jones had consecutive singles and Wierzbicki reached on a dropped flyball by the right fielder setting the stage for Sparks who responded with a two-run single to left that tied the game at 2-2.
The Braves took a 3-2 lead when Wierzbicki scored on a two-out single by Ryan Lloyd then Vice walked Lepchitz and had a 2-0 count on Farmer before he was lifted in favor of Chad Miller who retired Farmer on a groundout to end the inning.
After Blough pitched four quality innings, Charlie Boring took over in the bottom of the fifth inning and looked to be off to a pleasant start as he retired two of the first three batters he faced.
Control would get Boring into trouble as a hit batter and two walks led to a run that tied the game at 3-3 before he was lifted in favor of Alex Riopelle who was making his Newnan debut.
Unfortunately, Riopelle's first outing was a struggle as he allowed a walk that brought home the lead run for Alabama followed a bloop RBI single by Steven Groves and a walk to Jose Marin that led to another run and a pitching change.
Eric Burdette came into the game and was able to put out the fire as he retired the next batter on a groundout to end the frame and managed to pitch a solid sixth inning as a bonus.
George Grote took over in the seventh and surrendered a run before Anthony Winborne took over in the eighth and retired the side allowing one hit.
The Braves cut into the margin in the top of the eighth inning as Farmer reached on a one out single and Hooper reached on a two out walk before Jones lined a shot along the right field line for a two-run double.
The top of the ninth inning began on a positive note for the Braves as Sparks and Behenna reached on walks before a pitching change was made and the rally ended as reliever Eric Deese retired the next two batters on strikes and ended the game as Seth Newton hit a line drive to shortstop.

Big Train Outlasts the Braves 3-2

The Big Train held on to a 3-2 Victory Saturday in the scorching heat at Newnan, Georgia against the homestanding Braves. The day started with half of the Big Train's starting roster arriving late to the game due to arriving at the wrong field. However, by the time the first four Big Train batters had batted, the Big Train's full line up had arrived. It looked like it was going to be a good day for the Train as the first 2 batters reached base with Brett Wright reaching on a single and Chandler Tyree moving him over with a base on balls. After a strike out, Erik Deese singled in Wright to start the game off 1-0. The bottom of the 1st also started well for the Big Train. with pitcher Trey Vice striking out one and sitting down two more on putouts to finish the inning 1-0 Big Train. The second inning was a different story as the Braves came back by scoring two runs of their own, one off a homerun by Edmond Sparks and another off a Big Train error. No more runs would score until the 7th inning when Steven Groves led off with a double. He was brought home after Jose Marin ripped a hard hit single. Marin himself would score on a hit from Keegan Lambeth. The Big Train would hold the 3-2 lead and finish with the victory. Trey Vice pitched 8 innings after throwing 104 pitches with 69 strikes. He gave up 6 hits, 1 earned run and struck out 7, giving up two base on balls. Rumiko Forrester came in in relief, threw 14 pitches, 10 for strikes,struck out 1, and gave up 1 hit. Brett Wright led the Big Train in hitting going 2 for 4 with 1 run and 1 RBI. Jose Marin went 1 for 3 with 1 rund and 1 RBI while Erik Deese had went 1 for 4 with an RBI. Chandler Tyree and Steven Groves each had ground rule doubles which cleared the outfield fence in the air but failed to clear the net on the shortened left field alley.

Train Downs Newnan

FROM THE TIMES-HERALD (NEWNAN,GA)
By Stuart Crosby
The Times-Herald
Trey Vice of the East Alabama Big Train continues to weave his magic over the bats of the Newnan Braves as he allowed six hits over eight innings Saturday afternoon in a 3-2 Great South League victory at The Heritage School. The loss was the third straight for the Braves who fell to 5-6 as they prepare for Tuesday night's game at LaGrange College against the Georgia Stars and Thursday's game at Columbus against the Woodbats. The Big Train scored first as Bret Wright led off the game with a single against Braves starting pitcher George Grote and advanced around the bases before coming home on a one-out single by Eric Deese. In the bottom of the inning, Vice allowed a single to Derek Hooper but a popup back to the University of Alabama-Birmingham product, a strikeout and a caught stealing kept the score at 1-0.
Meanwhile, Grote had a solid second inning as the former Newnan Cougar and Braves role pitcher retired the Big Train in order in the top of the second and gave his club a chance to get into the game. The Braves tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the frame as Edmond Sparks kept his power streak going by drilling the first pitch he saw from Vice over the center field fence for his fifth home run of the season.
After the home run, Vice retired the next two batters but a walk, an infield error and a single to center by Eric Weiss would give the Braves a 2-1 lead. In the top of the third inning, the Big Train had a chance to reclaim the lead with two runners on base and one out but Braves catcher Jesse Wierzbicki threw at strike to Sparks at third base to pickoff one runner while Grote recorded the third out on a flyball to Michael Hollis in left field. That would be the best scoring opportunity for each side as Vice was getting groundouts and a few of his eight strikeouts while Grote would allow a baserunner who would eventually get picked off or left stranded on base when the Big Train bats were unable to generate any offense. The end of the day for Grote would come in the top of the seventh inning when he surrendered a ground rule double to Steven Groves and left in favor of Eric Burdette. Burdette retired the first batter on a strikeout but a bloop single by Jose Marin brought Groves home with the tying run and on the throw home, Marin advanced to second. After an infield single moved Marin to third, Bret Wright hit a bouncer in the infield that Sparks was able to field and get an out but Marin was able to score the lead run on the play. The Braves had an opportunity to get at least one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning as Lloyd was hit by a Vice pitch and with one out Michael Hollis reached on a single to right. However, Vice got out of trouble as he induced an infield fly and a groundout to short to end the frame and keep the Braves off the board.

Big Train has Weekend Split.

excerpts taken from the Anniston Star
The Big Train split Great South league action this past weekend, betaing the Columbus Woodbats 4-3 in 10 innings on Friday and losing 2-0 to the Cobb Premier Stars on Saturday. Against Columbus, Rumco Forrester singled home the winning run Friday, giving reliever Nathan Williams the win. Starter Trey Vice gave up just two runs in 8 innings.

On Saturday, Cobb starter Will Scott s truck out 17 batters en route to the shutout. Jacob Simmons worked seven innings in the loss. Steven Grooves went 3-4 with a double