Week Two!

Week 2 was one which started in a miserable fashion but quickly transformed into a great week and a major confidence builder.  

We opened the week on Tuesday afternoon at Pfeiffer with a loss.  Not just any loss, but a loss of 10-0.  Needless to say, we were not at all pleased and to be honest…quite angry.  Luckily we had an opportunity to redeem ourselves the next day with a home game against the same opponents.  This time we came out on top, winning 6-2.

With the weekend came a 3 game set with Shippensburg (Pa.). We came out on top in all 3 games after trailing at some point during each. The scores in a double header on Saturday were 2-1 and 5-3 and then Sunday finished at 11-5.

In a week which we went 4-1, one of the major bright spots was our ability to execute in “small-ball” situations.  As a team, we worked extremely hard this past week on having a purpose at the plate and being sure to get a certain job done when the task was placed in front of us.

With new restrictions on the bats we are allowed to use, we are beginning to learn that runs are more difficult to come by and we have to move runners when we get opportunities.  It was great this week to watch our practice translate into game situations.

On Wednesday, there were four specific times when situational hitting was carried out to perfection. 

In the first inning, with Josh Hohn on first, Garrett Furr was given the sign for a hit and run.  With Hohn running on the pitch, Garrett singled into right-center field and Hohn was able to advance to third.  This was great work by our clean-up hitter (4^th in the batting order) and what makes him such a valuable player.

The second inning had three batters in a row who executed in situational roles.  With me on first, Julio Zubillaga was given the slash sign.  This means that he squares around to bunt and then as the pitcher throws the ball he pulls the bat back and looks to swing.  He hit a hard ground ball up the middle which got through into center field and gave us runners on first and second with no outs and a great opportunity for more runs.

The very next batter, Blake Houston, laid down a great bunt on the third base line and beat the throw for an infield single. Following Blake’s picture perfect bunt, Ryan Bostian hit a hard line drive to left field which allowed me to score on the sacrifice fly.

This inning was a great example of what our team needs to do in order to put runs on the scoreboard.  Hoping that this execution was not just a fluke, we looked to carry this play into the weekend.

In game one against Shippensburg, Cameron Beard was asked to lay down a sacrifice bunt and he answered the call.  Beard put a bunt directly on the first base line and allowed me to advance to second with one out; another great display of the “small-ball” tactics we hope to implement into our game plan.

On Sunday, in game three against Shippensburg we continued to put pressure on the defense with three different bunts.  With Brett Holmgren on first, I laid down a bunt between the pitcher and first baseman which resulted in a hit. 

Following my bunt, Julio Zubillaga laid down a sacrifice bunt which put me and Holmgren on second and third.  Blake Houston then singled into center field driving in both runners.

In the bottom of the sixth, with Chris Dula on third, Holmgren on second and nobody out, I was given the bunt sign. I put down a bunt and as the ball was leaving my bat, Dula broke for the plate and scored with ease.  This play, called the safety squeeze, worked out perfectly.

Following several batting practices in which we focused solely on bunting scenarios and situations to advance runners, it was awesome to watch our team perform these tasks when it really mattered.

Along with the “small ball” plays, there were several other occurrences which made this week a great one.  Saturday as a whole was simply a great day as we won both games of a double-header. 

The day began as we all walked into the locker room and saw a couple of pictures posted on Nick Lomascolo’s locker which pitcher, JJ Jankowski, found online.  These were a couple of pictures of Nick trying (and ‘trying’ being the key word) to dance.

JJ putting these pictures up really lightened the mood in the locker room and apparently helped Nick as well as he went on to throw eight innings and allow only one unearned run.  For the sake of everybody involved with Catawba, it is a good thing Nick is on scholarship as a pitcher and not a dancer.

It was really funny to see how a simple joke could loosen up a locker room and get everybody relaxed before playing two games.  With that being said, thank you JJ for bringing in those pictures.

The last shout-out goes to a player who was far from an unsung hero in the second game of the double header.  Austin Moyer hit a walk-off, two-run home run to give us the 5-3 victory.  The amazing thing about this home run was that it was Moyer’s first hit as a Catawba College Indian. 

 

I also was extremely excited about this because it was the first game I have ever played in where my team won on a walk-off home run.  That was a really cool experience for me and one that I will never forget.

Week 2 of the 2011 Catawba baseball season was a success in terms of wins and losses, practice transitioning to games, and a little locker room fun!