With a week left in their regular season, there are several things that the University baseball team knows about itself.
The Hawks are undoubtedly talented, capable of playing flawless defense, shutting down even the heaviest-hitting lineups, and raking at the plate from the top through the bottom of the batting order. And that ability and experience often translates into wins.
Often – but not always.
Indeed, when UHS matches up against another good team, as they did Wednesday at Mylan Park against Bridgeport, the Hawks can’t simply out-talent the other guys. Instead, it takes getting all the little things right to be successful, but it was the Indians who capitalized on their opportunities to earn a solid 8-2 victory.
University (9-7) took a promising early lead in the first on Noah Braham’s RBI double that plated Avante Neal, but they also left the bases loaded. Bridgeport (19-3) responded immediately in the second with a three-spot, then tacked on two more runs in the third to take a 5-1 lead.
UHS had a huge opportunity to jump right back into the ballgame against Indians starter Ben McDougal in the bottom of the third. The lefty’s wildness – a hit batsman (one of four in the game) and two walks – produced a serious, self-inflicted jam. But three straight strikeouts solved his own problem, and the Hawks’ best chance whiffed away.
In the fourth, BHS added a single run in the fourth, while UHS stranded another pair of runners. After two scoreless innings from both teams, McDougal punctuated his big day with a big two-insurance RBI single in the seventh to make it 8-1. Braham’s sac fly in the bottom of the frame wasn’t nearly enough.
After the game, UHS coach Donovan “Buck” Riggleman summed up the game in a single definitive word.
Execution.
“You have to give them credit,” he said. “Their pitcher gave us chances, but he was able to hit his spots at crucial times, and we didn’t have very many good at bats against him. We couldn’t get a bunt down, but they got one down against us, and we didn’t convert that into an out. In the end, we let them off the hook too many times. We can sometimes get away with playing that way, but not against teams that don’t make many mistakes. Bridgeport is a quality club, and we didn’t match their level of play today.”
The Hawks have played six fewer games than the Indians, and Riggleman admitted his team is still grinding off the last of the rust.
“There was a two week stretch where we only played one game,” he explained, “and it can be tough to keep momentum, keep improving, and stay sharp when you aren’t playing very often. But we are responsible for us, and I make no excuses. If you get a bad call, you play through it. If low pitches are strikes, you have to adjust. If the calls are inconsistent, you have to ramp up your plate coverage and aggressiveness. It’s up to us to make our own breaks, and that’s what we have to down the stretch and into the playoffs.”
The Hawks are back in action Thursday, hosting Buckhannon-Upshur, with the first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
