Keene State baseball took to Westside Field in Danbury, Conn. on April 22 with hopes of breaking a six game losing streak, but left with dwindling postseason prospects.
GAME 1: Owls speared by Spartans
First-year pitcher Jake Jachym took to the mound in game one, but did not look like himself. Jachym’s performance in early April saw him pitch two consecutive shutouts against Rhode Island College, as well as Plymouth State.
The bottom of the first inning against Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) saw Jachym allow two walks, as well as two singles, the latter of which scored a run for the Spartans.
The Owls fought back in the second inning, notching two singles which tied things up 1-1, but the momentum would stop there as a pop-up would end the inning.
The bottom of the second inning did not stop the bleeding for the Owls, as a string of singles and a sacrifice bunt would plate two runs for the Spartans, putting them back in the lead.
The top of the third inning proved to be a momentum killer for the Owls. Following two singles and a hit-by-pitch, fifth-year outfielder Brendan Eaton failed to plate any runs as a ground-out would end the inning.
The bottom of the fourth inning would not cease the damage for the Owls, as Jachym gave up a double, a walk, a single, and another double which scored two runs for the Spartans, padding their lead to 6-1. Jachym would be given the hook after having only pitched 3.2 innings.
The Spartan’s’ momentum wouldn’t stop there, as the fifth inning saw them score another five runs, capitalizing off an error, a walk, and a pair of singles and doubles. The Spartans lead would now stand at a commanding 11-1 entering the sixth inning.
The Owls wouldn’t recover from that point on, only plating another four runs in the seventh and eighth innings, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
In the end the Owls would fall 12-5 against the Spartans, with Jachym taking the loss.
GAME 2: Owls fall short in heartbreaker
In the second game of the day the Owls hoped to recover from their initial performance, but would instead be met with a stinging loss.
The top of the first inning would present an unusual opportunity for the Owls, as the bases became loaded after a single by first-year outfielder Tommy Ahlers followed by two hit batsmen. However, the Owls would leave the inning scoreless, with all three men stranded following a pop-up.
First-year catcher and pitcher Evan Cali took to the mound in the bottom of the first in a rough start. The first batter Cali faced notched a single, and would later advance to second on a wild pitch. Cali would then give up a walk and a run-scoring single, and another wild pitch would advance a runner. Fortunately for the Owls, the bleeding stopped there, as the Spartans’ Joe Gambino would ground into a double play, ending the inning with only one run scored.
The second and third innings would see both teams fail to capitalize with runners on base, going into the fourth inning with a still narrow 1-0 Spartans lead.
The fourth inning saw the Owls take their first lead of the day in a six-run rally. The fun would begin when fifth-year Brandon Eaton reached base on a single to start the inning. Following a Spartans’ fielding error, first-year infielder Alec Varano would reach base with Eaton advancing.
The Spartans would commit two more errors in the inning, causing both Eaton and Varano to score, and delivering the lead to the Owls. Sophomore catcher and pitcher Liam Conley and Ahlers both earned two RBIs on a bunt and a double, padding the Owls lead to 4-1 and inducing a pitching change for the Spartans. In the latter half of the inning, Eaton would reach base on a wild pitch which would plate Ahlers, and a single by Varano would conclude the rally with the Owls now in the driver’s seat at a 6-1 lead.
However, the Spartans fought back in the bottom of the inning. The Spartans’ Christopher Ehlers would leadoff the inning with a solo homerun, and the scoring would not stop there. Cali would give up a single, and another man would reach base on a fielding error. The Spartans’ Stanley Roman would squeeze a single through the left side, scoring one run and an additional run plated due to a fielding error, narrowing the Owls lead to 6-4. Roman would end up scoring on a sacrifice fly, and the Spartans left the inning with a narrow 5-6 deficit.
The fifth and sixth innings proved to be uneventful for the Owls, as their side went down in order both times. The bottom of the sixth inning would put the Owls in dire straits. Cali would walk three men in a row, causing a pitching change with the bases loaded. Sophomore outfielder and pitcher Shea Zina would concede a single to Gambino, tying the game up 6-6. Fortunately for the Owls, Zina would make quick work of the next two batters, ending the inning with minimal damage.
The Owls failed to fight back in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving one man on base each time, which would prove to be their undoing.
The Spartans led off the bottom of the eighth strongly with a double, followed by a run-scoring triple which would deliver the lead to the Spartans for the first time since the fourth inning.
Going into the ninth with a narrow 7-6 Spartans lead, the Owls failed to rally, ultimately going down in order and ending the game in a tight loss. Cali would take the loss for the game, and the Owls would extend their losing streak to eight games.
The Owls are set to play a senior day doubleheader at home against the University of Southern Maine (USM) on April 29 in their last home games of the regular season.
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
nhope@kscequinox.com
