This past weekend was definitely something to talk about. We had to travel four hours to North Manchester, Indiana for a three game series. This was a very important series for us because we were in second place in our conference going into these games. If we played bad, then our chances of making the conference tournament would be slim. Manchester always has a descent team, so we knew we had to play well. We went into the series shorthanded on pitching, so we knew we had to hit the ball and put runs up on the board.
The first game was completely offensive. We pounded out 25 hits and 15 runs. It seemed like everyone was hot at the plate. Even though we scored 15, it was still a very close game. They started to make a comeback in the final inning, but we were able to shut them down. We ended the game winning 15-13. It's always important to win the first game because every team throws their ace.
The double header on Saturday was crazy. We maintained the lead in the first game the whole time and came out with our second victory of the series, winning 8-3. There really is not much to talk about for the second game of the twin-bill. It was all Manchester because they kicked our butts. I think they had like eight or nine home runs in the game, with two of them being grand slams. It was like watching home run derby. Long story short, we lost 28-8. It was like looking at a football score. It's nearly impossible to come back from 20 runs down, but at least we won the series 2-1. This improved our overall record to 23-12 overall and 13-5 in the conference.
We found out that after this series, we clinched a spot in the conference tournament. This is a huge relief for us because that is every team's goal going into the season. You must make the tournament if you have any desires to make it to the regionals or college world series. We have a conference game tomorrow versus Hanover and a final three game series this weekend against Anderson. As long as we do fairly good, we will get a high ranking in the tournament, probably a 2 seed. We won't be able to win it unless Franklin completely bombs the rest of the season, which is not likely to happen. All we an do is play our game and see where the chips fall.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
1st Place
This past weekend the team did their thing. We swept Defiance just as I had suspected we would, though it did not look like that was going to happen in the first game. They took a 9-0 lead in the first inning. I was dumbfounded, but knew we would hit the ball, which we did. We chipped away the whole game, never giving up and escaped with a victory 11-10. Since it started to rain, we were not able to complete the second game on Friday but postponed it to Saturday.
Saturday was a better day. They did not take the lead once in either game and our offense pounded out hit after hit. We won the first game 10-4 and the second game 16-10. Though we definitely gave up more runs than we would usually like, we were still able to win and that's all that matters. We are now in first place in the HCAC with a 11-4 record and 18-9 overall.
We are suppose to have 5 non-conference games this week, so our schedule is booked. We play Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at UC. The weather is suppose to be nice so come out and catch a game.
Saturday was a better day. They did not take the lead once in either game and our offense pounded out hit after hit. We won the first game 10-4 and the second game 16-10. Though we definitely gave up more runs than we would usually like, we were still able to win and that's all that matters. We are now in first place in the HCAC with a 11-4 record and 18-9 overall.
We are suppose to have 5 non-conference games this week, so our schedule is booked. We play Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at UC. The weather is suppose to be nice so come out and catch a game.
Another One Bites The Dust
We took on Transylvania Tuesday night in a very cold day. Despite snow coming down, we got the game in. If you remember earlier in the season they beat us in an ugly game. This game was quite the contrary. We braved the elements and went out there and did our thing. Their lead of 1-0 was the only lead they would have the whole game. We hit the ball well as a team. From top to bottom, everyone hit. It was good to see this. We had another good pitching performance and the defense was stellar. We finished the game with a score of 7-1, thus propelling us higher into the conference rankings. We are now 15-9 overall with an 8-4 record in conference.
This weekend we take on the last place team in the conference, Defiance. We need to sweep this team, plain and simple. We can not afford to lose any games to a weak opponent. Winning these three games could really help our conference standings, which is critical since conference play is almost over.
This weekend we take on the last place team in the conference, Defiance. We need to sweep this team, plain and simple. We can not afford to lose any games to a weak opponent. Winning these three games could really help our conference standings, which is critical since conference play is almost over.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Great Weekend
Playing the number one team in the conference is always a challenge, no matter what sport you play. As for baseball, Rose Hulman was definitely the powerhouse coming into this past weekend. They had pitching, hitting, and defense. They were just a well-rounded baseball team. However, as the weekend came to an end, I have to say that we opened up a few eyes in the conference and proved that Rose may not be as dominant as people project them.
We played a single game Friday where we faced their ace pitcher. He threw well and kept us on our toes the whole game. We just could not get things going offensively and it didn't help with them blasting two home runs in the very first inning of play. They took an early lead and added a run here an there throughout the game. We were able to get on the board in the 7th with a 2-run bomb, but that was all we could muster up. The final score was 8-2.
As we entered the double header Saturday, we knew we had to win both games. Since we could not sweep them, we had to take two of three, especially if we wanted to continue our hopes of making the conference tournament. As long as we won the series, then I would be satisfied, especially to a team that has only lost one conference game. Our bats were on fire for the first game Saturday. We were first to score and maintained the lead the whole game. We had a big 4th inning, scoring 6 runs on 5 hits. Also, our pitching was great. To hold that team to just one run is quite a feat. The final was 9-1. The second game of the double header was not a big run producer but more of a pitchers dual. Our pitching kept us in the game because we couldn't get that two out hit to score some runs. They maintained a 1-0 lead for most of the game. We were able to tie it up on a past ball. We took the lead in the 7th with a clutch hit, making the score 2-1. Luckily for us, we were able to keep the lead for the rest of the game and finished with our second victory of the day. It was the first time this season Rose lost a series. Everyone contributed to these two victories and it was definitely a good feeling. We improved our record to 14-9, with a 7-4 mark in conference play.
We played a single game Friday where we faced their ace pitcher. He threw well and kept us on our toes the whole game. We just could not get things going offensively and it didn't help with them blasting two home runs in the very first inning of play. They took an early lead and added a run here an there throughout the game. We were able to get on the board in the 7th with a 2-run bomb, but that was all we could muster up. The final score was 8-2.
As we entered the double header Saturday, we knew we had to win both games. Since we could not sweep them, we had to take two of three, especially if we wanted to continue our hopes of making the conference tournament. As long as we won the series, then I would be satisfied, especially to a team that has only lost one conference game. Our bats were on fire for the first game Saturday. We were first to score and maintained the lead the whole game. We had a big 4th inning, scoring 6 runs on 5 hits. Also, our pitching was great. To hold that team to just one run is quite a feat. The final was 9-1. The second game of the double header was not a big run producer but more of a pitchers dual. Our pitching kept us in the game because we couldn't get that two out hit to score some runs. They maintained a 1-0 lead for most of the game. We were able to tie it up on a past ball. We took the lead in the 7th with a clutch hit, making the score 2-1. Luckily for us, we were able to keep the lead for the rest of the game and finished with our second victory of the day. It was the first time this season Rose lost a series. Everyone contributed to these two victories and it was definitely a good feeling. We improved our record to 14-9, with a 7-4 mark in conference play.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Four In A Row
This past Tuesday, we played Hanover College. It was another cool, rainy day. Again, this was a must win game, especially since they are struggling a bit. You can't afford to lose to these types of teams, especially since they are in our conference. These types of games can really come back and haunt you later on in the season if you fail to take them serious.
We started at somewhat of a slow start even though we scored in the very first inning, which we could contribute to three first inning errors by their defense. When a team makes mistakes like that, you have to capitalize, and we did. We scored a run here and there throughout the game and eventually came out with a victory, 5-1. We are now 12-8 overall and 5-3 in the conference.
This weekend we have a huge weekend series against Rose Hulman. They are currently first in the HCAC with a record of 7-1. I believe they are 16-4 overall and ranked 24th nationally. We must bring our "A" game this weekend because these are going to be tough games. If we play like we know how we'll be good. I think that this weekend will really be the determining factor as to how good of a team we have.
We started at somewhat of a slow start even though we scored in the very first inning, which we could contribute to three first inning errors by their defense. When a team makes mistakes like that, you have to capitalize, and we did. We scored a run here and there throughout the game and eventually came out with a victory, 5-1. We are now 12-8 overall and 5-3 in the conference.
This weekend we have a huge weekend series against Rose Hulman. They are currently first in the HCAC with a record of 7-1. I believe they are 16-4 overall and ranked 24th nationally. We must bring our "A" game this weekend because these are going to be tough games. If we play like we know how we'll be good. I think that this weekend will really be the determining factor as to how good of a team we have.
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