This year’s blog is intended to be on a more personal level, rather than my personal journalistic take on the game.
After a hot start, things took a tough turn for the Concordia Golden Bears today. Facing the 15th ranked West Chester Rams we jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. After pitchers from both schools exchanged zeros inning after inning we found ourselves in a 3-0 lead and into their bullpen.
It was exciting to get our season started, and starter Ben Lemke set the tone putting up zero after zero for us on the mound. In the end Lem through six innings allowing just one run on five hits while punching out five. It was great to get such a great performance from our number one on opening day. It will give us a lot of confidence as we go through the season that we have a chance to win every single time we send him out there.
In the seventh we brought in Nick Anderson, our senior reliever/starter. He got us out of a big jam. It was at this time that I went down to the bullpen to start stretching and getting loose for a possible relief appearance.
We took an 8-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth. A couple of unlucky bounces and close calls later we were in an 8-8 tie. After Anderson shut the door to send the game into extra innings things got interesting.
We were double-barrel in the bullpen, a righty and me, a lefty. The coaches told us the righty, Zach Goodwin would go in the game if it was tied, and I would take the mound if we had the lead.
After a wild top of the tenth which included a hits batter and the go ahead run being balked in, we had the 9-8 lead.
I took the mound and threw my warm up pitches. I was nervous but maintained my composure. The first hitter was a right-handed hitter, a combination of fastballs and cutters got me to a 3-2 count, before punching out the hitter on a fastball. The second hitter walked. The third hitter also struck out on a 3-2 fastball. That gave us two outs with a runner on first. The next hitter hit a cutter on the outer half towards left center. My first thought was that it was an easy fly ball and that we had just capped off a wild win. But the ball continued to carry and landed just out of the reach of our left fielder for a game-tying RBI double. With two outs and a runner on second their hitter swung at a fastball at the hands. The ball dribbled just past the outstretched glove of our shortstop for a walk off single.
It was a tough way to lose. The loss on opening day stings a little, but the good thing about the spring trip is that we get to come back to the ballpark for seven more games over the next week. One of our top arms from last season Andy Fagely will start against Ashland (Oh.) University. Game time is at 4:30pm EST again tomorrow.
We will have to come out swinging and pitching again. We played the best eight and half innings of baseball the Concordia has played in a long time, we just have to finish games off when we have the chance.
-Go Golden Bears-
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