Baltimore Redbirds are Cal Ripken Collegiate League Champions

Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Redbirds won their 3rd straight Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League championship Saturday with a 7-0 victory over regular season champions The Bethesda Big Train. The game was held at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda. The two teams were not only the top two in the regular season in 2014 but have made six straight championship games.

The Redbirds, who play their home games at Carlo Crispino Stadium at Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, were led by Virginia Tech’s Mac Caples who had four RBIs by way of a single and home run. He was named the series Most Valuable Player. Wake Forest’s Matt Pirro pitched seven innings of shutout baseball and Justin Dunn of Boston College finished the game for the victory.

The Redbirds defeated the Rockville Express 11-2 and Bethesda 7-3 to reach the championship round of the double elimination playoffs. They lost a close game to Bethesda 2-1 on Friday,forcing the winner-take-all game. The Alexandria Aces, Gaithersburg Giants and Glen Burnie-based Youse’s Orioles also made the six-team playoffs.

The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League began in 2005 and the name honors both Cal Senior and Junior. The wood bat league is part of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball, the same sanctioning body as the Cape Cod and New England Collegiate Baseball Leagues. Players come from colleges and universities across the country. The Baltimore area is also the home of the Baltimore Dodgers, while the rest of the teams are based out of the Washington, DC area.