August 9, 2005

Jonnie Knoble (San Francisco) of the Bethesda Big Train and Zach Clark (UMBC) of the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts were named co-MVPs of the 2005 Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League Championship Series as their teams each took home a share of the championship.

Knoble tied for a league-best seven hits in four games and scored six runs, the most by anyone in the Championship Series. Against the College Park Bombers in the Big Train's first playoff game, Knoble went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI, including the game-winning RBI on a single in the bottom of the eighth inning that salvaged the game for Bethesda after they allowed the Bombers to tie the score with three runs in the top of the seventh. In Saturday's loss to the Thunderbolts, Knoble collected one of the Big Train's five hits off co-MVP Clark. Knoble also stole a base in that game.

Knoble had two more hits and two more runs scored against the Bombers back home on Sunday, as the Big Train cruised into the Championship, 10-1. On Monday, the centerfielder scored two more runs on one hit, stole another base, and preserved a precarious one-run lead in the third inning with an outstanding running catch to deep centerfield, stranding the bases full of Thunderbolts. The Big Train held on to win that game, 3-0, and grab a share of the Championship.

Clark was responsible for shutting down Bethesda in game five on Saturday at Blair Stadium. The righthander scattered five hits and a run over seven innings of work to pick up the win that carried the Thunderbolts into the Championship. Moreover, Clark went 5-for-7 with an RBI and a run scored in Silver Spring-Takoma's other two games.

In Friday's win over the Rockville Express, Clark had four hits, with an RBI and a run scored. He also had one of the Thunderbolts two hits in Monday's loss to the Big Train.