|
|
 |
2008 Williamsport Champions
October 6, 2008 -- Cortland Club Baseball Team Claims 2nd Williamsport Championship in 3 Years
The Club Baseball team went into Williamsport, PA with a young team, but a winning mindset as they tried to vindicate a sub-par showing in last year’s tournament. They won 4 out of their 5 games due to timely hitting and great pitching on their route to the title.
In the team’s first game, they squandered a great pitching performance by Junior Toby MacCart (5 IP, 1ER, 2H, 7K, 7BB) against the University at Buffalo. The Red Dragons took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th inning where consecutive singles, a defensive miscue, and a walk-off homerun lead to them losing 7-4. Sophomore Tim Holder went 2-4 with a double and a run scored in the loss.
Since the tournament’s format is “Pool Play”, Cortland’s next game vs. Lafayette College was a must-win. Starting pitcher and Coach Bruce Bradley took this mindset into the game. “Yea there’s always nerves when you’re starting a must win-game, but we just had to keep the game close, limit the damage, and give ourselves a chance to win,” said Bradley. Bradley did give his team a chance to win, going 5 strong innings giving up 2 runs, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts, and 4 walks. With the team being down 2-0 after two innings, the Red Dragons responded by scoring 6 runs in the 3rd, which was capped by a majestic 400-foot grand slam by Senior Mike Torres. That inning and also a pinch-hit home run by Sophomore Phil Steinkraus propelled Cortland to a 9-5 win. “Torres’ grand slam really turned the tournament for us,” said Bradley
In the afternoon game, the team played Alfred University. An 8-run first inning which included 8 walks and 8 stolen bases boosted them to a 17-1 victory which locked them up the number 1 seed in Sunday’s championship rounds. Freshman Alex Santa went 2-3 with a double and 2 runs scored.
Cortland played the University of Pittsburgh in their semi-final game. Sophomore Josh Britt was the starting pitcher for the Red Dragons as he went 4 1/3 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. Senior Dan Huestis entered the game as pitcher in the 5th inning with 1 out and 2 men on. He proceeded to strike out the next two batters, squandering the Panthers rally. Huestis finished as the winning pitcher, going 2 2/3 innings giving up 0 earned runs, 0 hits, and 0 walks, leading to a 4-2 win. “I felt like my pitches were working, and that would allow me to deny their offense,” said Huestis.
In the championship game, the team played Hofstra University. Cortland took a 1-2 deficit into the bottom of the 5th inning, when Britt led off the inning with a single, which started an 8-run rally for the Red Dragons. In the rally, Torres added a 2-RBI single, and Senior Gabe Schaub added a 3-run triple with the bases loaded. They took the momentum of that rally and great relief pitching by Toby MacCart (2 IP, 1K, 0 ER, 1 BB) to beat Hofstra 9-5.
Cortland has a 3-game series against the University of Albany this weekend at home.
|
|
