MORGANTOWN — One thing you have to learn as a baseball player is how to finish a close game. For the University baseball team, that lesson hasn’t quite sunk in yet.
The Hawks entered the seventh inning Wednesday at Mylan Park tied 5-5 with Parkersburg South, but surrendered five runs in the final frame as they fell 10-5 to the Patriots. The loss was UHS’s third on the season.
“I think for whatever reason, it’s a bug we’ve been dealing with all season — we continue to hit people, walk people, give them free at bats and making our pitchers throw more, and that’s the separation right now. Could we be a great team? Yes, but right now, we’re an average team,” coach Buck Riggleman said.
“You can call it being young or being inexperienced or whatever, but these guys have played enough baseball in their life that five games into a high school season, this stuff has to stop.”
The Hawks (2-3) got off to a slow start, entering the bottom of the fourth inning trailing 4-0 and had yet to record a hit. Junior Clay Maholic attributed the Hawks’ inconsistent play — both early and late — to a lack of preparation for live action.
“I think we just have to practice harder, focus more and make sure we have ourselves ready to be into the game 100 percent of the time. If we can put it all together, we’ll be a great baseball team,” he said.
Maholic provided a breath of energy for the Hawks at the plate, earning two hits, one RBI and one run in three at bats. His first hit sparked a 3-run rally in the fourth inning to narrow the South lead to one run; his second was a triple that drove the lone baserunner home and set up the opportunity for a game-tying run, which Maholic would cross home plate to score soon after.
“I was just looking to get on base, see some pitches and get their pitcher rattled a little bit,” Maholic said. “It worked out pretty well.”
Riggleman cited Maholic as the type of go-to performer that a coach loves to have. He said he has plenty of players on his roster that fit a similar mold, and believes Maholic could serve as an example for those athletes.
“He’s a guy who waited his time and when he finally got his chance, he performed. The kid loves baseball, he puts the time in and it shows,” Riggleman said.
“As a coach, you always look at a handful of players who you can depend on in tough situations that are going to grind and play as a competitor. Clay is one, but we have several competitors that just need to have the right mindset.”
