The Observer, April 4, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 23
Disappointing baseball team continues to struggle on the road
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The Spartan baseball team had a rough road stretch this past week as the team went 1-5, with all games being played away from Cleveland. This latest misfortune comes on the heels of a less-than-spectacular showing at the conference tournament in Florida, and leaves the team with a 3-12 record.
On Wednesday, the Spartans were one-hit by No. 22 Otterbein College. The Cardinals, on the other hand, scored 14 runs on 20 hits. Case's only hit came from backup outfielder Zach Hall, who hit a single in the sixth inning. Otterbein scored six runs in the first inning off sophomore Clay Hurley, who exited the game with one out in the second inning. The Cardinals used five different pitchers on the afternoon, none of whom the Spartans could figure out.
Case also played against John Carroll at the College of Wooster. After taking a quick 4-0 lead behind the bats of Cory Pecararo, Steve Crilley, and Phil Keefe, all hitting home runs, the Spartans fell victim to errors. The team had two big defensive lapses and allowed the Blue Streaks to tie the game at four. After that, big hits put the Spartans away, with five John Carroll runs in the top of the ninth putting the game out of reach.
Against Heidelberg the following day the same problems resurfaced. As a team, Case Western posted six errors, struck out 11 times, and could only muster three hits.
"We just haven't been able to make key plays defensively," said head coach Matt Englander. "We just need to focus on our fundamentals and footwork."
Next up for the Spartans were two double headers over the weekend, both against Wabash College. On Saturday morning, Case Western was in a position to win going into the ninth inning. After a fantastic day on the mound by freshman Kyle Silk, who allowed only five hits and two runs in seven innings, the Spartans could not convert on offense. The Little Giants seized the opportunity in the bottom of the inning, hitting two doubles and scoring the winning run. The second game of the day saw another great pitching performance, this time by senior Kevin Haley, and a win for the Spartan squad. After the team scored three runs in the first, Haley mowed down opposing batters, allowing only five hits and one run.
During Sunday's action, the team played two more extremely tight games and both went in favor of the opposition. After being down early in the morning game, the Spartans came thundering back with a six- run third. Then, three errors and spotty pitching caught up with the team as they let in one run in the bottom of the third, two in the fourth, and another in the fifth to give the Little Giants a two-run lead they would hold on to for the rest of the game. In the afternoon, Case Western had another big production inning in the fourth as freshmen Chad Mullins and Pecararo hit single and double RBI, respectively, giving the team a two-run lead. It wasn't enough to hold on, though. After allowing one run in the fifth, freshman pitcher Simon Weaver came into the final inning with a one-run lead, but could not hang on as Wabash's Matt Dodaro hit a walk-off two-run homer to end the game.
As for this week's opponents, coach Englander is confident and optimistic about his team's chances. "Right now we are refining technique," said Englander. "All these young guys are getting used to the grind of playing this much. I'm optimistic, we are getting better." The Spartans are scheduled to face Hiram and Mount Union College over this weekend.
