It is easy for someone like me, with no real connection to this team, an outsider observer, to look at a game like this and say it’s fine, the future is what’s important, one more loss is not going to change the trajectory of this season. It’s OK, because players got valuable experience. Mistakes were made, but those can be turned into lessons. There will be another game tomorrow and short memories are valuable things.
But for players, coaches, families, and fans, that is a bunch of crap. They want to win and losses like this hurt. They hurt bad. Losing a game you were winning by two runs going into the ninth inning is awful, but losing that game by seven runs is absurdly cruel.
This loss wasn’t a fluke, but an avalanche of every problem that has plagued the Tigers all season long. And it would be easy to recount those problems, to analyze every walk, every error, every wild pitch and hit batter, and add my pound of misery to the scale. But that is not why I’m here. If you’re reading this, it’s not why you’re here. We’re here to celebrate the positive. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard.
Positive Pixels
- Dean Stramara‘s nickname should be…well, I didn’t actually think this through, but Stramara deserves an awesome nickname for his performance this season. Today he pitched 3.1 innings, allowing three his and two walks, his first in his last 12.1 innings (and, to be honest, the strike zone was extremely dodgy today). His ERA is now 2.94.
- Jake Pecilunas bounced back from his last game, when he was hit hard by Coppin State, and went 1.1 shutout innings in this one. Since March 2, the freshman has a 3.75 ERA. He has only struck out 12 in 17 innings this season, but showed off a really nasty curveball when he closed out the sixth inning with a three pitch strikeout. If that develops into a consistent swing and miss offering, Pecilunas has a very bright future.
- JUCO transfer Craig Alleyne is 8-18 in April, with two doubles, a home run, and nine RBI. He’s raised his batting average .198 points this month. Today he was 1-3 with a walk, a double, and two of those runs batted in.
- Billy Lennox extended his hitting streak to eight games with a hit today, adding two walks and a stolen base.
The Watch List
Richie Palacios, SS – 2-4, 2 BB, 2 R, 1 SB. That stolen base moved Palacios into a tie for the most career stolen bases at Towson and he is perfect in 18 attempts this year. He also extended his hitting streak to 12 games and scored his 39th and 40th runs on the season.
Dirk Masters, 2B – 2-3, 2 BB. Masters is working on a four game hitting streak and has been on base for 14 straight. He has 19 walks on the season, to only 16 strikeouts.
David Marriggi, P – DNP
Michael Adams, P – DNP
Up Next
Towson welcomes Delaware State for a 3 p.m. home game tomorrow. The Tigers beat up the 12-2 back on March 13th.
