Blame It on the Rain...

The wake-up call for the Cardinal Men today came in the form of a 6:45AM text message telling them to report to the field asap for tarp duty. If there were any chance to get the two games in against Crown College, we were going to have to get an early start on field prep. Two wins, 6-0 and 9-3, really helped lessened the blow of the early rise and very cold winds that blew at the "Zimm."

 

With the two wins, the Cardinals improve to 4-3 and are above the .500 mark (hopefully for good). Senior pitcher, Nate Arenson shined in the opener of the twinbill tossing a complete game three-hit shutout. Fifty-one of Arenson's 69 pitches were strikes. The Cardinals' 1 through 4 hitters (Tommy Ross, Dan Scott, Kevin Hennessy, and Michael Corrigan) supplied the offense by combining to go 10 for 16 (.625) and accounted for four of the six Cardinal runs.

The nightcap saw more effective pitching. Sophomore pitcher T.J. Hecimovich scattered four hits through four innings for his first win of the season. While he fanned six, "Heci" walked four in just four innings. He is a smart ball player who realizes the negative effects that walks can have on an inning. If anyone will improve upon their struggles it is the hard-working Hecimovich, who is in the weight room or on the treadmill more often than not. 

Another bright spot on the mound for the Cardinals was freshman Travis Vanderwall. "Vandy" came in to Game 2 and faced just 10 batters in three innings of work, fanning six, and locating 38 of his 48 pitches for strikes. Having been around Coach Fitzgerald for the last four years, I know that having a pitcher come in from the pen and throw strikes makes him about as happy as when he gets a new sweetened iced coffee from Starbucks with three sugars. Anyone that knows Fitz knows that coffee runs through his veins.

Nick Daniels

While there were two wins and some solid performances today, the Cardinals will definitely be practicing in the AM tomorrow---focusing on executing at the plate. We need to be much more discipline at the plate and cash in on the opportunities that present themselves. During the two 7-inning home games today, the Cards had 12 innings of offense. In those 12 innings, the Cards left 20 runners on base, including leaving the bases loaded on three separate occasions throughout the day. We need to get better in this department if we want to make noise in the CCIW.

Check out the last out of Game 2, a 5-3 put out, Nick Daniels to Kevin Hennessy here: