The baseball team headed to Mansfield Wednesday night to take on Eastern Conn. State under the lights. The final score was 4-1 in favor of Eastern, dropping the Cardinals’ record to 10-21-1 for the season. The team was up against tough competition, as the Warriors boast a national ranking along with a 26-8 record this season.
“They were a very good team,” said Alex Mautone ’07. “They threw a good pitcher at us, and he wasn’t even in their starting rotation, which proves the depth of their staff.”
Eastern’s starting pitcher went seven strong innings, allowing only two hits. For the game the Cardinals managed only four base knocks, as left fielder Rob Coughlin ’07 led the way going two for three. Shortstop and co-captain Angus Fredenberg ’04 also collected a hit, but the team’s highlight moment came from first baseman Alexander Brooks ’06.
Brooks came up for his fourth plate appearance to lead off the ninth, and tagged the Warrior relief pitcher for a solo home run. The shot, Brook’s team-leading eighth of the year, cut the Cardinal’s deficit to three runs. After two outs, Fredenberg got his hit to keep the team’s hopes alive, but was one of five runners the Cards left on base.
“Although Eastern Conn. is nationally ranked, we matched up well against them,” said Chris Waelsch ’07. “Our defense was great, good pitching from everyone we put on the mound. Offense is where we fell short, our only run came too late in the game. However, we had four hits and they had five, only one more, but their hits came at the right times.”
On the mound to start the game for Wes was Charlie Munzig ’07, and he got the loss to drop his season record to 1-4. Brian Mahr ’07 replaced Munzig in the second inning, and pitched into the sixth. Going into the sixth the Cards were only down 1-0 on a second inning RBI double after Munzig hit a batter.
Eastern asserted itself in the sixth inning, tagging Mahr for back-to-back solo homers to start off the inning. Andre Sternberg ’07 relieved Mahr, giving up a run in the sixth on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 4-0. Sternberg managed a strikeout with a man on third to get out of the three-run sixth inning. Eastern went down in order in the seventh, and co-captain Tom Bloss ’05 retired three straight batters in the eighth. The four-pitcher combination allowed only five hits over eight innings, but the four Eastern runs were too much for the Cardinal offense to match.
“The team played really well, coach used four different pitchers to keep the Eastern hitters off balance. It worked pretty well, we only gave up five hits,” Mautone said.
The Cardinals have another shot against a nationally ranked opponent this Saturday when they play host to the Bantams of Trinity (26-6, 10-2 NESCAC). Trinity clinched the top seed in the East Division of the NESCAC, and will host the playoffs. This weekend is likely the end of the season for the Cardinals, and the teams play a double-header with the first game starting at noon.
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