It’s almost impossible to write about a game like this without falling into a pile of cliches. It’s all playing not lose this, and not wanting it enough that, and why won’t that @&*%ing fat lady sing already. But the reality is this.
You lose the games you are supposed to lose.
Towson entered the ninth inning up 4-1 and lost 6-4 by giving up five unearned runs. That’s a funny stat, unearned runs. They imply, sometimes correctly, that a team scored them undeservedly. But the team giving them up, the Towson Tigers, earned every one, littering the box score with three errors, two walks, and one hit in that fateful frame.
It is okay to be angry, to use anger as a powerful motivator to improve. Well, it’s okay for the players to be angry, for the coaches, for the whole team to be angry. They can actually do something about it. For fans (and random bloggers) being angry about a game like this just…pointless. All there is to do is shake your head, let out a little air, and remember the best cliché of them all.
Baseball is gonna baseball.
Positive Pixels
- There were so many good performances for Towson in this game, starting (literally) with junior Dean Stramara. Making his first start of the year, the right-hander was an efficient, strike throwing machine. He used 63 pitches to go five innings, allowing a single run on five hits and a walk. Nearly half of the fifteen outs he recorded were via groundball.
- Freshman Josh Seils was fantastic in his inning of work. He faced three batters, struck out one and got the other two on ground balls.
- It’s now three straight scoreless outings (4.1 innings) for freshman Jake Pecilunas. He pitched the seventh and eighth, facing only seven batters.
- Joe Enea was “credited” with all five unearned runs, but this wasn’t a performance that should make him hang his head. He threw strikes and, for the most part, stayed ahead of hitters. On almost any other day he would have gotten a save. Baseball gonna baseball.
- Mark Grunberg is red hot. Today he was 3-5 with a double and an RBI. In his five game hitting streak he has raised his batting average by one hundred and ninety-one points.
The Watch List
Andrew Cassard, OF – 1-3, 2 BB, 1 R. Cassard just keeps doing lead-off hitter things. Good thing he’s hitting lead-off.
Richie Palacios, SS – 1-4, 1 BB, 1 R, 1 RBI. When I started writing about baseball again, I knew I wanted to focus on the positive, but I also wanted to write with honesty. Richie Palacios has given me nothing but good things to write about so far this season, but any positives from this game will come in the future. The only question that anyone has about him at this point is whether he can stick at shortstop at the pro level. His three errors today will only make those questions louder. How he responds to this game will be interesting to watch.
Dirk Masters, 2B – DNP
Bo Plagge, P/DH – DNP
David Marriggi, P – DNP
Up Next
Towson has tomorrow off, before starting a three game series against Marist.
Musical Finale
I wanted to see Retrievers pitcher Stephen Schoch, I just didn’t want to see him get the win. Still, he was as impressive as advertised and I have to admit I’m intrigued. Most college relievers aren’t pro prospects, but most college relievers aren’t 6′ 5″, 240lb, submarining, self-proclaimed donkeys. I need to learn more.
