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Volume CXXXII, Number 18 |
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Baseball gets nice tan and wins
BOBBY DESAULNIERS
STAFF WRITER
The baseball team returned home to lovely Brunswick from Florida bearing a record of 4-6. Although disappointed to return with a losing record, the areas that the Bears identified as preseason weaknesses proved to be quite strong. Bowdoin's cold, snowy season kicks off this week, and the team believes that they are prepared.
Three out of the six losses for the Bears came in very tight games. Going into the last inning against Nichols College and Albertus Magnus, the Bears carried three and four-run leads, respectively. However, the Polar Bears ended up losing both games. Another game against Palm Beach Atlantic went into extra innings, but the Bears lost by a run in the ninth.
Although carrying a record of 4-6 clearly is not the most ideal of starts, it is not as if the Bears have been getting blown out. The biggest loss that the Bears encountered came against northeast rival Endicott College-it was only a four-run deficit.
With the Bears hitting the ball like Ted Williams in '41, the team averaged close to nine runs-per-game. This is a significant jump for the Bears from last season. Key contributors include Tom McMahon '05 (2 HRs), Jared Lemieux '06 (2 HRs), and Ivan Lucuk '04 who hit a grand slam against Springfield College. Ricky LeClerc '06 and Justin King '04 also contributed to the offensive arsenal that the Bears unleashed on their opponents.
Coming into this season, the Bowdoin coaching staff knew that one key pitcher, Scott Jameison '02, must be replaced to have a successful season. In the first two games, Coach Connelly gave the nod to two first years. Trevor Powers threw the first game, an 11-1 trouncing of Upper Iowa, and went the distance. He only let up four hits.
Mark Bulger is the other first year that threw notably well over the break. He started in Bowdoin's second win and threw seven innings of six-hit ball. The performances for these two youngsters are exactly the surge that the Bowdoin pitching staff needs in their starting rotation.
The Bears did encounter some difficulties defensively. They were most noticeable in the late innings of close games. Although captain Kevin Bougie '04 and Chris Bucci '06 stood out as defensively solid players, the defense as a whole played sub-par. Such errors plague most teams in the beginning of the season. The question that remains is how fast the kinks can be worked out.
Outfielder Lucuk said, "The Florida trip gave us a chance to compete against some quality ball clubs. This team is full of leaders and gamers who come to work every day. It will be fun to see how our hard work pays off in the next two months."
Indeed it will.
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