I turned 44 years old yesterday and I took my family to the ballpark. My wife was, I think, largely dubious of the idea, but as the weather warmed up more than expected and we settled into our lawn chairs, it was very nice. Schuerholz Park is family friendly, especially along the right field foul line, where the big grass hill is perfect for letting little ones run after bubbles and foul balls and tire themselves out. It affords a wide view of the game, too, which was a positive for the first eight innings. Ultimately, Marist scored three runs in the top of the ninth, packing their third straight victory into the charter bus back to Poughkeepsie.
It stinks whenever the team you’re cheering for loses, but it never seems as bad in person. There’s something thrilling about being at a live game that makes it hard to be sad. I always feel acutely lucky to be there.
Photos from Sunday, March 18, 2018
Positive Pixels
- It may have gone largely unnoticed due to the lack of wins, but significant improvements in Towson pitching have started to appear. In five games this week, the Tigers have a 3.20 ERA, striking out 44 and walking 18 in 45 innings. That BB/9 of 3.60 is better than half of their season average before the last five games.
- The Tigers’ weekend starters have led the turnaround. Over the last three weekend, Gavin Weyman, David Marriggi, and Michael Adams have combined for a 3.88 ERA, with walk and strikeout rates of 3.8 BB/9 and 10.1 K/9.
- Alex Cuas had a nightmarish start to his season, one inning total over two appearances. Over that time the redshirt junior allowed 11 runs on two hits, plus eight walks, three hit batters, and 11 wild pitches. After not appearing in a game for two weeks, Cuas pitched two shutout innings on Saturday. He struck out three, walked only one, and gave up only two hits. It was an impressive rebound performance for the team captain.
- Mark Grunberg also started the year very slowly, but is coming on lately and currently riding an eight game hitting streak. Yesterday he also had a couple of spectacular plays in centerfield, both nicely timed to when I didn’t have my camera ready. Thanks, Mark.
- I also missed video of Noah Cabrera’s first career home run, a line drive shot that was smoked over the left field wall.
The Watch List
Richie Palacios, SS – .348/.483/.580, 22 R, 3 HR, 7 2B, 14 RBI, 8-8 SB. It was an uneven week for the young shortstop, but he ended it with a good performance, getting on base twice and stealing two bases on Sunday. After a rocky bump on defense in the middle of the week, Palacios has played clean games the last two.
Andrew Cassard, OF – .267/.370/.283, 11 R, 6 RBI. Cassard also ended his week by getting two hits in Sunday’s game, but he is still looking for his second extra base hit on the season.
Dirk Masters, 2B – .314/.467/.343, 6 R, 3 RBI, 2-2 SB. Masters hasn’t played since March 11.
Bo Plagge, OF/DH – .267/.405/.467, 4 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI. Plagge only had one hit versus Marist, but continues to make contact. He’s walked and struck out six times each in 37 plate appearances.
Bo Plagge, P – 8.53 ERA, 12.2 innings, 11 walks, 12 strikeouts. Plagge had a nice start in Towson’s only win of the week at Delaware St. He gave up five hits, but only walked one, while allowing two earned runs in three innings.
David Marriggi, P – 4.56 ERA, 25.2 innings, 18 walks, 27 strikeouts. Marriggi bounced back nicely, pitching into the seventh inning and allowing three earned runs. Hey, that’s a quality start! The lefty set a season high with nine strikeouts, while walking three.
Up Next
- Tuesday, March 20, 4:00 P.M. at University of Virginia.
- Wednesday, March 21, 4:00 P.M. at University of Virginia.
- Friday-Sunday, March 16-18, versus University of Delaware at Schuerholz Park. Friday’s game is a 3:00 P.M. start, both weekend games begin at 1:00 P.M.
