The Observer, April 25, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 26
Scots top Spartans at Progressive Field
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Playing in a major league ballpark is the dream of any little league player in the country. Being able to play where your favorite player laces up every home game, sitting in the home team's dugout, taking batting practice in the underground cages; the entire experience is unparalleled. This past Tuesday, the Spartan baseball team played their annual game at Progressive Field against the ninth-ranked College of Wooster.
The day started out well enough for the Spartans. After a batting practice session in the stadium's indoor cages and taking a walk on the field, the team knew it was time to get down to business. "Playing at Progressive Field was a great and exciting experience, but one of the most important things to realize is the game at hand is more important," said freshmen first baseman Cory Pecoraro. "When that first pitch is thrown we must focus on our job just like any other game."
That is exactly what the Spartans did in the first inning. After a three-up, three-down top of the first, a Zach Hall single and a Cory Pecoraro triple gave the team a one-run lead. In the innings that followed, Case Western seemed to lose some of that focus.
In the second inning Wooster fired back, leading off with a double, which was followed by a RBI single. After getting two outs, pitcher Zach Fry let in another run off an RBI single and let up another double before getting the seventh batter to line out to third.
After those first two innings, the game turned into a pitchers' duel through the sixth inning, with Case Western only recording two hits and Wooster only getting one. In the top of the seventh however, Wooster would strike again, scoring one run off of Fry before he called it a day. Fry finished with a very respectable six and two-thirds innings of pitching, only allowing three runs off of seven hits.
Wooster continued their barrage in the top of the eighth, this time attacking pitcher Kyle Silk. After recording one out, the defense let committed an error that put Wooster's Sean Karpen on base. Silk would get the next batter to ground out to first base before walking the following batter and giving up a home run to Dan Skulina. Wooster kept their five-run lead and eventually won the game as the Spartan's bats fell silent for the final two innings.
Although it was a rough day on the field for the team and coach Englander remains winless against his Alma Mater, the guys were still excited about the experience. "It was crazy playing on a field where I'd been watching Grady Sizemore play a week earlier," said freshman infielder Kevin Train. "I can't wait to get back there next year."
The Spartans finish out their schedule this weekend and the following week at home, playing two doubleheaders against University of Chicago and Washington University on Saturday and Sunday, then single games against Heidelberg College and Muskingum College on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.
