by John Vittas

Taylor Bloom tallied 16 strikeouts over eight innings in a 2-1 win Sunday night in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Bloom was pitching for the Gaithersburg Giants of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. He held the Alexandria Aces to one run on two hits and only walked one, leading the Giants to their first win of the summer season.

BOX SCORE

Combining Sunday’s numbers with Bloom’s dominant outing at No. 1 UCLA, he’s allowed only five baserunners over his last 14 innings. Here’s the official line:

2 W, 14 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 18 K, 2 BB

12 of Bloom’s 16 strikeouts came on swings and misses, with the majority of them induced by his sharp changeup.

“It was the best performance I’ve seen from a Cal Ripken League pitcher for as long as I’ve been in the league,” Gaithersburg head coach Jeff Rabberman said. “He was remarkable. His changeup was absolutely devastating.”

Bloom worked with Maryland teammate John Mazza, who caught all nine innings for the Giants Sunday night.

“I thought John behind the plate did a great job,” Rabberman said “The Maryland familiarity really, really helps out.”

“It’s great having a familiar guy back there,” Bloom said. “We’re always on the same page all the time. We know what each of us wants to throw in each count and it ends up working out.”

Calls on the last four strikeouts:

Bloom joined the Gaithersburg broadcast after the game: