Oh, Deer...
By TOM WALKO
October 22, 2008
The Tartans experienced mixed results during two doubleheaders this weekend. The team dominated CCAC Boyce, winning both games.
Prior to the start of the contest on Saturday, a button-buck made its way onto the field and was dragged back into the woods, exhausted from running into the outfield fence repeatedly. With no deer present, the doubleheader began. The Plaid Crusaders won the first game by mercy rule, as the Tartans racked up eight runs in a second-inning slugfest. The second game followed the same path. During the series, the Tartans performed well individually. Starting pitchers Eric Bruner and Zach Cohen allowed a combined five earned runs. James Langhauser hit three triples and an inside the park home run, in addition to a fly out hit to the deepest part of left field. Five other Tartans hit for extra bases during the series. During the doubleheader, the team racked up over twenty-five runs.
Sunday’s doubleheader against Robbert Morris University resembled Saturday’s games only in that baseball was played. The Tartans’ starting pitching could not get a solid start. The Colonials hit well against starting pitcher James Langhauser. The Tartan bats couldn’t come alive, and the Tartans fell to the Colonials in the first game by mercy rule. The team started the second game hoping for a split series, but experienced the same result. Bennet Poepping struggled early on in the second game, allowing five earned runs in the first inning. The CMU bullpen went to work, trying to minimize the damage. The game ended with second-baseman Phil Manor on the mound, and the Tartans again lost by the mercy rule. The team looks forward to finishing the season strong during a three-game set against West Virginia University later in October.