Bobcats hindered by injury

    The GCSU baseball team posted a 2-2 record in its four game home stand this week.
    The Bobcats (12-7) won one and lost two games in a weekend set with Shippensburg University, before taking a 9-7 decision from Lenior-Rhyne College on a rain-soaked John Kurtz Field Tuesday night.
    “Last week we go to Armstrong (Atlantic State University with a) 9-2 (record), and in game one we lost (redshirt sophomore) Sean Harrell and in game two we lost (junior) Danny McCorkell, so we’ve  definitely had our share of adversity for the week,” head coach Tom Carty said. “It’s a test to the team trying to persevere through it and wait for some guys to come back and in the meantime try to play some better baseball.”
    The loss of Harrell, GCSU’s centerfielder, and McCorkell, the right fielder, was certainly felt offensively during the week.
    So far this season, Harrell has been one of the Bobcats’ top hitters, batting .327, scoring 17 runs and producing eight RBI’s, while swiping nine bags.
    McCorkell has also been a key player. In twelve starts this season he has batted .324 with nine runs and six RBI’s.
    Carty said the key to this team throughout the season will be to get consistent starting pitching, something they did not get in the home stand.
    In game one against Shippensburg senior starter Sean Heimpel threw 3.2 innings, while allowing three earned runs on seven hits and a walk to earn a no decision.
    The starting pitching continued to struggle in game two and three. Sophomore starter Clete Jessup and senior lefty Shaun Monica both yielded their first losses of the season in the series.
    “We just haven’t pitched well,” Carty said. “This weekend was the first time all three guys as weekend starters – Clete and Shaun Monica have given us some pretty good starts, and hopefully this was just bad timing to have both of them not pitch well.”
    The struggle continued Tuesday night for freshman Eric Pettepher who lasted only two plus innings surrendering five runs on five hits.
    After finding themselves down 5-0 going into the bottom of the third inning, GCSU answered back.
    Sophomore third baseman Brooks Robinson set the table with a single into left then swiped second base, before scoring on a Derek Johns single. Senior catcher Pete Paris and sophomore leftfielder Andrew Evans each followed with singles. Johns, a junior centerfielder, scored on an errant throw during Evans’ single.
    Redshirt freshman designated hitter Richard Pirkle then sent a Greg Conrad, Lenior-Rhyne’s starter, pitch screaming over the left-centerfield wall to tie the game at 5.
    “It felt good to get that hit that helped get the team back in the ballgame,” Pirkle said. “We got down early, but battled back and we really needed that.”
    The Bobcats would then take the lead when redshirt freshman first baseman Gator Parker reached and scored on senior right fielder Nathan Martin’s double to right. Martin would then score the final run of the inning on senior second baseman Tony Rice’s sacrifice fly to center to increase the lead to 7-5.
    Junior reliever Jay Clark pitched three strong innings surrendering only one hit and striking out three Bear hitters.
    Lenoir-Rhyne would battle back with runs in sixth and seventh innings including a towering shot over the leftfield pole by the Bear’s first baseman Zachary Glass off sophomore reliever Jamie Ammons.
    Sophomore reliever Brandon Owens came on to pitch a perfect eight inning, and would eventually earn his third win of the season as the Bobcats added two runs in the bottom of that inning.
    Paris smashed a double down the right field line, in the inning, plating Robinson for the lead. Freshman Benton Yaun then plated Rice, who was hit by a pitch, for the final run of the game.
    “It was real good to get that hit – especially since we haven’t been playing that good – to be able to help my team get a win in that situation,” Paris said.
    Senior closer Michael Newman earned his second save of the season by retiring three straight batters in the ninth.
    “Baseball, to me, is the ultimate team game,” Carty said. “You need everything clicking especially when your young and trying to figure out how to win games. We were 9-2 before we had any injuries, and now that we have some injuries on a young club it takes them a little time to figure it out.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 7 2008. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry