Tartans Start New Season
By BRENDAN MACNABB
April 2, 2012
The Tartans took the field eight times since last season, all without star utility player Paul Ko, who unfortunately is trapped in a birch tree after being chased up there by a squirrel. Paul has been living off of acorns, bark, and sap for the past several weeks, and we are all
hoping that someday he will have the courage to climb down, or at least that a storm will knock him off of the branch. The Tartans have also been without Evan Fisch, who spent so much time in the weight room that his muscles spontaneously combusted. Fisch will miss the entirety of the season rehabbing the injury, after missing all of the fall schedule
following a Buster Posey-esque collision. Finally, the team has been missing Cam Bogie since the beginning of the season. If anybody knows where Cam is, can you please tell us, we are starting to get worried. Also, co-captain Pedro Cuacuas, if you read this, you should be playing baseball.
Game 1: Marquette 13, Tartans 8
The Tartans showed a bit of Jet-lag/20-hour-car-ride fatigue in their first game of the season, as they played a sloppy game on a rainy Florida night on the same day that the team arrived in the state.
Juanjamin Infante took the mound for the first time since returning from his "topsecret CIA mission" to "abroad," and pitched very well, especially considering it was his first start in a year. He displayed poise in not committing any balks, and pitched so fast that no radar guns at the field
were able to clock the speed. Aaron Brown also pitched well in his CMU debut. The Tartans offense scored eight runs in their first game of the season, thanks, in large part to a monster game at and behind the plate by Dominic Tan. In the end, though, the Tartans offense fell just short against a very tough opponent.
Game 2: Moorhead St. 9, CMU 4
Bennet Poepping pitched his final game for CMU, and received no help of any kind from his teammates. The Tartans could get nothing going offensively, while in the field they played like Roberto Luongo in the Stanley Cup. Bennet pitched well enough to deserve the win in a complete game effort, but took the loss thanks to several unearned runs.
Game 3: CMU 14 , Northern Illinois 2
The Tartans got their first win of the season, as the team seemed to have finally woken up for the second game of the day. The offense exploded to give pitcher Brendan MacNabb more than enough run support. The Gorilla shook off a rocky start to the game to pitch all five innings of the mercy-rule-shortened "contest," giving up only two hits while striking out nine. Cookie Joe Barbish, Wade Brogdon, Eric Bruner, and Adam Gruber all had multi-hit games. MacGruber also had four RBI, part of his solid season.
Game 4: Lafayette 7, CMU 1
Dan "Stolly Dan" Stoll gave up very few hits in his first start of the season, as his curveball was particularly devastating. However, the Tartans could not salvage a split of their games in Florida. They were facing the very real possibility of being no-hit until Kyle Woltersdorf emphatically ended the bid with a last-inning triple into the gap in left-center. He later scored on a double by Bennet Poepping, ending the shutout. Bennet, however, did not quite have the speed to stretch his hit into a triple. His last play for the Tartans was memorable, as he dove at the third baseman, who absorbed the impact of the collision without moving, in an impressive show of strength.
Game 5: CMU 7, St. Francis 6
The Tartans won their opening game of the Pittsburgh schedule thanks to huge home runs by Eric Bruner -a three run bomb off of the scoreboard- and Kyle Woltersdorf. Brendan MacNabb worked hard for a complete game, and was able to escape with the win despite a late rally by St. Francis thanks to a season-high 11 strikeouts. Adam Gruber, Brian Ferri, and Dan Stoll also added multi-hit games.
Game 6: St. Francis 10, CMU 4
Dan Stoll pitched very well early on, but ran out of gas. Jon Tan had a solid game, with three hits, and Kyle Woltersdorf had another home run, his second of the day, which hit Bennet Poepping's car, and resulted in Tom Poepping hilariously running and screaming while running to inspect the damage.
Game 7: West Virginia 8, CMU 0
The Tartans were severely undermanned in this game, with Paul Ko, Evan Fisch, D'Brickashaw Tan, Aaron Brown, Bennet Poepping, Tom Poepping, Wade Brogdon, Kyle Woltersdorf, Dominic Cerminara, Cam Bogie, and Pedro Cuacuas all missing in action. The Tartans went up against a top team with ten players, and were flat. Pitcher Brendan MacNabb pitched well through 4 innings, but unfortunately pitched 7 total. He imploded in the fifth and sixth innings, much to the dismay of acting manager Rege Kiliany, and received little help from an offense that was worse than the Seattle Mariners. The highlight of this game was a phenomenal over the shoulder catch in right field by a lunging Brian Ferri, who made it look like the ball was over his head in a very heads-up play to trick the runner on first into going, and then threw the runner out a first for the double play.
Game 8: West Virginia 18, CMU 4
West Virginia completed the sweep of the Tartans, as Carnegie Mellon came out just as badly in this game as they finished the first of the day. Dan Stoll and Eric Bruner were helpless pitching with a sieve-like "defense" playing behind them. Between this game and the first of the day, the Tartans game up 10 unearned runs combined, while only scoring 4 runs total. According to the book, some dude named Alani (Luke Whitestone?) got two at-bats, and Adam Gruber allegedly drove in another three runs and scored a fourth.
For now the CMU baseball team must keep fighting through the season. Regardless of who is missing the Tartans will show up to play each game. Every practice, the team gets better. Each player is willing to put in the work.
Whether the Tartans win or lose, it will not be because of lack of effort. After the season, the team will be able to look back on it with pride. Do not count this team out. Every (Scotty) dog has his day.