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02-18-2012, 03:38 AM
Western Kentuckyâs baseball team made a gritty comeback on Fridayâs opening day, only to see it spoiled by some last-inning lapses.
The Hilltoppers (0-1) battled back to tie Toledo after falling behind 2-0 early, but they gave up three runs in the ninth inning to lose 5-2 in their season opener in front of 857 fans at Nick Denes Field.
âItâs tough to lose, especially after we came back in the eighth and tied that up,â first-year WKU coach Matt Myers said. âWe faced a good arm tonight. That kidâs going to be special and thereâs not many opportunities. Good pitchers eliminate them real quick.â
Toledo (1-0) built a 2-0 advantage in the first two innings and kept the lead until WKU tied the game at 2 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Rockets went up 1-0 in the top of the first inning with an RBI single by senior center fielder Ben Hammer.
His line drive to center scored senior third baseman Joe Corfman, who reached second after an error by WKU junior left fielder Adam Lavelle, a newcomer from Iowa Western Community College.
Toledo extended that lead with a solo home run by freshman shortstop Dan Zuchowski to start the second inning, and the Hilltoppers struggled through several missed opportunities.
WKU got one run back in the bottom of the third after leaving the bases loaded in the second. Senior second baseman Ivan Hartle hit a triple off the right-field wall and came home on a deep sacrifice fly by senior center fielder Jared Andreoli.
âOur kids are never going to stop fighting,â Myers said. âWeâre going to bring energy every day, weâre going to compete. Our kids believe in each other and trust each other. Yeah, todayâs opening day and they didnât know what to expect ... but you wonât see anything different tomorrow.â
Andreoli walked in the sixth inning but was caught stealing, and the Hilltoppers stymied some momentum in the seventh with a double play when junior catcher Devin Kelly struck out and Lavelle was caught trying to steal third.
But WKUâs biggest moment of the day at the plate came from the arm with the biggest question mark.
Sophomore pitcher Justin Hageman, who was scratched from his scheduled Saturday start earlier this week, pinch hit in the eighth inning with the Hilltoppers down 2-1. Hageman drove a single into right-center field, scoring Hartle for the game-tying run.
âHeâs been battling for us, and if you know Justin, you know heâll give you a good at-bat,â said Hartle, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. âHeâs a hard-nosed player, and heâs not going to give you anything. That was really clutch.â
Hageman has been fighting tendonitis near the elbow of his throwing arm, Myers said, and doesnât have a pitch count high enough to start right now. Myers said the plan is to use Hageman today in the closer role if the situation arises.
The Hilltoppers didnât get the chance to close Fridayâs game out, however, as Toledo responded with three runs in the top of the ninth.
WKU junior reliever Taylor Haydel took over for senior and fellow bullpen mate Ross Hammonds, and after recording a strikeout with the bases loaded, Haydel gave up the winning run on an infield single by Toledo outfielder Tyler Grogg.
Outfielder Jeff Cola then knocked a bloop single that fell in front of WKU senior right fielder Ryan Hutchison, allowing the gameâs final two runs to cross the plate.
âThe hard contact was decisively on our side,â Myers said. âWe hit a lot of balls right at them. That last inning, they did a great job with two strikes and found some holes. They didnât hit the ball very hard, but it doesnât matter.â
The late collapse washed away seven strong innings from sophomore starting pitcher Tanner Perkins, who gave up two runs â one earned â and took a no-decision.
After throwing 30 pitches in the first two innings and giving up two hits and two runs, Perkins allowed two hits and no runs the rest of the way â tossing 55 pitches over the final five innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Hammonds (0-1) took the loss for WKU.
âI didnât have my best stuff on the mound, and thatâs where the trust factor came in with the other guys,â Perkins said. âWe picked the tempo up while I was out there, and the guys in the dugout kept me in it.â
The Hilltoppers return to action at 2 p.m. today for game two in the series with Toledo.
Too much canât be read into one game in baseball, Perkins said, which is part of WKUâs new philosophy.
âOur big theme this year was, âSo what? Next pitch,â â Perkins said. âWe were one hit away the whole game. We had two errors, and we need to clean that up, but weâre right back out there again tomorrow.â
Myers changes rotation
The Hilltoppers will break from the scheduled weekend rotation, Myers said, opting to start sophomore hurler Austin Clay on the mound today.
Freshman pitcher Ian Tompkins, who was originally slated to start today, will start Sundayâs game in place of junior Tim Bado, who Myers said is suffering from soreness in his forearm.
âI have faith in them,â Myers said of Clay and Tompkins. âTheyâll throw strikes. Everyoneâs on pitch counts right now, so the gameâs not decided on who starts. Itâs who wins late in the game.â
If Hageman were to start a game right now, Myers said, he would be limited to 40 pitches. The sophomore will work out of the bullpen until he increases his pitch count, and the Hilltoppers will err on the side of caution with Hageman and Bado.
âHeâs too good to try to rush,â Myers said of Hageman. âA premium arm like that â heâll tell you heâs ready, but Iâm not going to send him out there to start his game under 40 pitches. I donât think thatâs going to put our program in a good position. But heâs fine. I would say if he wasnât.â
http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/openin...963f4.html
The Hilltoppers (0-1) battled back to tie Toledo after falling behind 2-0 early, but they gave up three runs in the ninth inning to lose 5-2 in their season opener in front of 857 fans at Nick Denes Field.
âItâs tough to lose, especially after we came back in the eighth and tied that up,â first-year WKU coach Matt Myers said. âWe faced a good arm tonight. That kidâs going to be special and thereâs not many opportunities. Good pitchers eliminate them real quick.â
Toledo (1-0) built a 2-0 advantage in the first two innings and kept the lead until WKU tied the game at 2 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The Rockets went up 1-0 in the top of the first inning with an RBI single by senior center fielder Ben Hammer.
His line drive to center scored senior third baseman Joe Corfman, who reached second after an error by WKU junior left fielder Adam Lavelle, a newcomer from Iowa Western Community College.
Toledo extended that lead with a solo home run by freshman shortstop Dan Zuchowski to start the second inning, and the Hilltoppers struggled through several missed opportunities.
WKU got one run back in the bottom of the third after leaving the bases loaded in the second. Senior second baseman Ivan Hartle hit a triple off the right-field wall and came home on a deep sacrifice fly by senior center fielder Jared Andreoli.
âOur kids are never going to stop fighting,â Myers said. âWeâre going to bring energy every day, weâre going to compete. Our kids believe in each other and trust each other. Yeah, todayâs opening day and they didnât know what to expect ... but you wonât see anything different tomorrow.â
Andreoli walked in the sixth inning but was caught stealing, and the Hilltoppers stymied some momentum in the seventh with a double play when junior catcher Devin Kelly struck out and Lavelle was caught trying to steal third.
But WKUâs biggest moment of the day at the plate came from the arm with the biggest question mark.
Sophomore pitcher Justin Hageman, who was scratched from his scheduled Saturday start earlier this week, pinch hit in the eighth inning with the Hilltoppers down 2-1. Hageman drove a single into right-center field, scoring Hartle for the game-tying run.
âHeâs been battling for us, and if you know Justin, you know heâll give you a good at-bat,â said Hartle, who went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. âHeâs a hard-nosed player, and heâs not going to give you anything. That was really clutch.â
Hageman has been fighting tendonitis near the elbow of his throwing arm, Myers said, and doesnât have a pitch count high enough to start right now. Myers said the plan is to use Hageman today in the closer role if the situation arises.
The Hilltoppers didnât get the chance to close Fridayâs game out, however, as Toledo responded with three runs in the top of the ninth.
WKU junior reliever Taylor Haydel took over for senior and fellow bullpen mate Ross Hammonds, and after recording a strikeout with the bases loaded, Haydel gave up the winning run on an infield single by Toledo outfielder Tyler Grogg.
Outfielder Jeff Cola then knocked a bloop single that fell in front of WKU senior right fielder Ryan Hutchison, allowing the gameâs final two runs to cross the plate.
âThe hard contact was decisively on our side,â Myers said. âWe hit a lot of balls right at them. That last inning, they did a great job with two strikes and found some holes. They didnât hit the ball very hard, but it doesnât matter.â
The late collapse washed away seven strong innings from sophomore starting pitcher Tanner Perkins, who gave up two runs â one earned â and took a no-decision.
After throwing 30 pitches in the first two innings and giving up two hits and two runs, Perkins allowed two hits and no runs the rest of the way â tossing 55 pitches over the final five innings. He struck out three and walked one.
Hammonds (0-1) took the loss for WKU.
âI didnât have my best stuff on the mound, and thatâs where the trust factor came in with the other guys,â Perkins said. âWe picked the tempo up while I was out there, and the guys in the dugout kept me in it.â
The Hilltoppers return to action at 2 p.m. today for game two in the series with Toledo.
Too much canât be read into one game in baseball, Perkins said, which is part of WKUâs new philosophy.
âOur big theme this year was, âSo what? Next pitch,â â Perkins said. âWe were one hit away the whole game. We had two errors, and we need to clean that up, but weâre right back out there again tomorrow.â
Myers changes rotation
The Hilltoppers will break from the scheduled weekend rotation, Myers said, opting to start sophomore hurler Austin Clay on the mound today.
Freshman pitcher Ian Tompkins, who was originally slated to start today, will start Sundayâs game in place of junior Tim Bado, who Myers said is suffering from soreness in his forearm.
âI have faith in them,â Myers said of Clay and Tompkins. âTheyâll throw strikes. Everyoneâs on pitch counts right now, so the gameâs not decided on who starts. Itâs who wins late in the game.â
If Hageman were to start a game right now, Myers said, he would be limited to 40 pitches. The sophomore will work out of the bullpen until he increases his pitch count, and the Hilltoppers will err on the side of caution with Hageman and Bado.
âHeâs too good to try to rush,â Myers said of Hageman. âA premium arm like that â heâll tell you heâs ready, but Iâm not going to send him out there to start his game under 40 pitches. I donât think thatâs going to put our program in a good position. But heâs fine. I would say if he wasnât.â
http://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/openin...963f4.html
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02-18-2012, 03:38 AM
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