By Chris McCree
Writer
The baseball team began its season by losing all four of its games this past weekend at James Madison University. The Bison had a tough time with a very talented Dukes squad that produced a total of 91 runs over the four game stretch, including a 37-run outburst in the first game. Much of the Bison’s troubles stemmed from inconsistent play in the field and an inability to place their pitches where they needed to.
“Going into the weekend we were confident that we would compete with JMU on every level. They played very sound baseball most of the weekend, but we also gave them a few opportunities to score,” David Duffett ’12 said.
The Orange and Blue started out the four-game series by letting up 15 runs in the first inning and eventually losing 37-7. The Dukes racked up 10 home runs in the game, including three by catcher Jake Lowery. Despite the lopsided score, the Bison had a solid offensive game. The top two hitters in the lineup, Bob Donato ’12 and Gerry Runyan ’12, combined to go 5-for-9 with four RBIs on the day, and Scott Reed ’12 hit a home run.
The first game of Saturday’s doubleheader was the team’s best pitching performance as starter Trey Frahler ’11 worked the mound into the fifth inning. The game stayed tight to that point, but the team couldn’t seem put enough runs on the board as they fell 9-2.
As the series progressed, the Orange and Blue steadily improved and were able to put together good offensive performances. The team combined for 27 runs over the last two games after registering only nine in the first two.
“It was good to see our bats come alive in the last two games. The biggest thing we need to improve on is our defense and locating pitches better,” Reed said.
Sunday’s game proved to be the team’s best chance to win as the Bison went into the eighth inning down by only three. The Dukes then managed to plate eight runs in the eighth to close out the series with a 19-12 victory. Donato, Reed, and Douglas Shribman ’11 all drove in three runs, and Duffett recorded his second three-hit performance of the weekend.
“We need to improve in every aspect of the game,” Donato said. “The pitchers will need to focus on spotting the ball, hitters will need to have a better approach to at-bats, and defensively we will need to sharpen up, but this all comes will time. We know we can do it because we did it last year and captured the Patriot League Championship, and that’s what we’re going to do this year.”
After a week of practice, the Orange and Blue will head down to Richmond for a three-day series against the Spiders.