Dropping the series finale against Wheaton, having another CCIW opponent celebrate a walk-off homerun at The Zimm, over our homeplate, (They were the home team as their field in under renovation.) and having emotions get the best of us could have been the beginnings of an end for our Cardinal team this season....but no. The Cardinal Men responded by coming out today and finishing a sweep over the Bluejays of Elmhurst, winning by a score of 7-2.
How well did we respond? Well, our 1-5 hitters (Scott, Burke, Abraham, Corrigan, and Turek) went a combined 11-19, a .579 clip. The bottom of the Cardinal order (Hagensee, Daniels, Ross, and Khoury) strung QABs (quality at-bats) together and hit the ball hard the other way while driving in runs. Pitchers Michael McGrath and Tim Riggenbach threw strikes and were extremely effective. After walking the lead-off batter of the game, giving up a 2-run homerun to the next batter and hitting the three hole with a pitch, starting pitcher Michael McGrath settled in and stepped up to deliver a masterful performance. At one point McGrath retired 9 straight Bluejays and finished his 8 strong innings by retiring 19 of the last 23 he faced. The Cardinal defense was on its game as well, especially the middle infielders (Burke and Khoury) and the outfield crew (Hagensee, Ross, and Scott, left to right).
I think it says alot about our team when the men respond like this. Sure,tempers will flare, emotions run high, pressure situations push players to the edge. However, when it is time to respond---time to come together and get the job done and execute, we are proving to ourselves that we are capable of success.
Heading into the last two weekend series against CCIW foes Augustana and defending DIII National Champions, Illinois Wesleyan, the Cardinals are exactly where we want to be...in the driver's seat, tied atop the CCIW at 11-4.
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