The baseball team’s record dropped to 7-16-1 after three losses to Williams in a weekend series and a loss to Westfield State on Thursday. The team did defeat nationally ranked Suffolk State on Monday to snap a six-game losing straight.
The first game against Williams was played at home on Friday, as several hundred fans came out to support the team on a sunny but frigid afternoon. Despite a strong outing by Brian Mahr ’07, who pitched into the ninth, the Cardinals lost 3-1. Mahr totaled six strikeouts, and only one of the three runs was earned.
In the second inning Rob Coughlin ’07 misjudged a slicing line drive, resulting in two Eph unearned runs. The Williams side was able to add an insurance run in the ninth by scratching out a few singles. The Cards stranded eight men on base, as they out-hit the Ephs nine to six. John DelGiudice ’07 scored the squads only run on an error by Williams in the ninth. The Cards brought the potential tying run to the plate in the form of pitch hitter Mac Clonan ’05, but the Williams starter was able to uncork some of the nastiest pitches of the day to strike out the home team’s last hope. Centerfielder Jeff Maier ’06 led the team with three hits, and designated hitter Drew Nannini ’05 and captain Angus Fredenburg ’04 had two hits a piece.
“Maier and Angus have been hitting really well, but we need some other guys to step up and make the big plays if we want to be successful,” Nannini said.
The teams traveled to Williams for the Saturday double-header. Although the first game was scheduled for seven innings, the game was tied after regulation and went into the eighth. The Ephs seemed to be a step behind the entire game, with captain and pitching ace Tom Bloss on the hill for the Cardinals and working on a complete game.
The Cards had the lead going into the bottom of the seventh thanks to a two-run homer in the top half of the inning off the bat of Fredenburg. It was the team’s second home run, as Maier homered to start the scoring. Fredenberg and Maier combined for more than half of the team’s hits in the series. The team felt good with Bloss pitching and a two-run lead, but an unsuccessful diving attempt in the outfield allowed the Eph batter to advance all the way to third and score on the ensuing ground out. Later in the inning, a runner advanced to second on a wild pick off throw, and scored on a two-out RBI single that tied the game.
The Cards were unable to score in the top of the eighth, and Williams got the run they needed to take the game. Bloss allowed seven hits and five earned runs in the team’s 6-5 loss. Losing in such tough games has been a problem for the team.
“We are always one inning, or a couple of plays short of winning games,” Nannini said. “The last couple of losses would have been wins if we cleaned up a few things. We’ve had some heartbreaking losses that have determined our season so far, but we are still only a couple of wins away from being in good playoff position.”
Williams carried their momentum into the first inning of the second game, as Will Gordon ’05 was tagged for a base clearing double in the first. Andre Sternberg ’07 relieved Gordon after only one out, and the southpaw pitched the rest of the way allowing two runs on three hits. The Cardinals offense struggled, however, amassing only four hits and one run, which was compliments of the William’s defense. The final was a 5-1 defeat, and a three game sweep by the Ephs.
The team bounced back with a strong performance on Monday afternoon, behind a complete game performance by Eric Wdowiak ’06. Although Suffolk State jumped out to 2-0 lead in the bottom of third, the Cardinals battled back to tie the game in the fifth on an RBI double by Rob Coughlin ’07.
Alexander Brooks ’06 hit a home run in the sixth inning to give the Cardinals a lead they never relinquished. John DelGiudice ’07 added another run in the seventh, as he scored on a wild pitch after stealing third. Suffolk State managed only one more run on a home run in the seventh. Wdowiak allowed only one hit after the home run to secure the victory.
The Cardinals lost a tough game at home on Thursday afternoon, as the Westfield State Owls came from behind to win 6-3. The Cards led 3-0 going into the eighth inning behind a strong pitching performance by Charlie Munzig ’07. Then the wheels came off the wagon. Alex Mautone ’07 booted a routine grounder to start off a series of terrible fielding. At the end of the inning five errors had been committed, allowing six Owls to cross the plate. Losing by three was especially frustrating because three Cardinals had been thrown out at the plate earlier in the game.
Next up for the Cards is Middlebury in a three game home series this weekend, starting Friday at 4:00 p.m. The teams are tied in the West Division of the conference, so a series sweep is a must for playoff hopes, and certainly a possibility if the team can play without let downs.
“Middlebury is going to be a good test,” Bloss said. “We are good but very young, and as a young team we are having a tough time getting over the hump to win the tough games. Middlebury swept us last year, but we can win if we can play well and be persistent. They are a team we can beat, but they win games if you let them hang around.”
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