Leopards lose three in a row
Campus Times
March 7, 1997
A University of Redlands three game sweep of the University of La Verne's
baseball team is something that many may have never expected, let alone
fathomed. Expectations are sometimes too great however, and this last week
La Verne has been picking up the pieces from a three game sweep by the Redlands
squad.
Head coach Owen Wright said, "Baseball is such a mental game, much
more than most people realize. Once you get off the tracks it is all so
difficult to get back on those tracks. On Friday we started off on the wrong
track and fell off those tracks for the remainder of the weekend."
The three game series began at Redlands last Friday as La Verne was
able to find home plate once in the period of the first six innings. In
the other dugout there was Redlands, planning an offensive barrage of runs
going up 7-1 by scoring three in the third and sending around four more
runs in the fourth.
La Verne rallied in the seventh inning for three runs and then again
in the ninth for two more only to come up short by a run and lost the first
game 7-6.
Senior pitcher Sean Caldwell said,"We are just really struggling
right now. It is a team effort, and I know I didn't have a good day Friday.
We had decent hitting, it just came a little late in the game."
The second game of the series was Saturday morning with excellent conditions
at Ben Hine's Field. La Verne once again got on the board with a run in
the first only to be shut down until the sixth. It looked like a replay
from the previous day, as Redlands quickly went up 6-0 by the first half
of the game and La Verne was left to make up ground the whole rest of the
way. The La Verne effort came in the seventh as senior shortstop Brock Whobrey
singled and two batters later were driven in by a double from the bat of
senior right fielder Seth Marrs.
The momentum of the rally was again found in the ninth as La Verne looked
to have maybe pulled the game off by digging in and scoring three runs and
with no outs bringing the score to 6-8 in Redlands' favor.
La Verne's third baseman sophomore Eric Britton brought the game within
one as he reached home on a fielder's choice. However, efforts came up short
as the game came to a close with La Verne dropping the second game 9-8.
In the final game of the series, it looked to be becoming a pitcher's
duel until La Verne finally broke the ice scoring two runs in the fourth
as a triple was ripped by Britton. Britton managed a half-off discount home
as he reached the main course plate on a passed ball by the Redlands pitcher.
Sophomore outfielder, Shyaam Butler, was up next and with an elegant display
of power sent a ball past the Hubble into orbit over the left field net
for the solo dinger.
Butler said, "We tend to cringe under pressure. Once we get ahead
of someone, we need to learn to hold on to that lead. Lately we have just
been buckling up under the pressure."
Redlands was able to retaliate as they sent three runs around the bases
the very next inning. Redlands pitching tightened up the rest pf the game
allowing only three more hits the rest of the game as the Redlands offense
was able to put the game on the shelf scoring three more in the eighth.
Redlands completed the sweep.
The baseball team plays today at Ben Hines Field against Occidental
College at 2:30.