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Yeomen strike it rich over Spring Break with two wins

by Ricard Kong

After winning only one game last season, the Oberlin baseball team has already improved by winning two games thus far. New head coach Tom Mooney won his first game as the team defeated visiting Penn-State Behrand 8-2 in the first game of a double header.

Paced by the exceptional hitting of sophomore outfielder Jay Johnson, the team scored six runs in the second inning to advance their lead to 7-2. Johnson went three for three with a double, a walk, and three runs scored. Seniors Oren Gradus and Ted Lytle provided additional run support by combining for two more hits and three RBIs.

"We were watching what we should've been watching and swinging at what we should've been swinging at," explained Johnson, who is playing baseball for the first time since he was a first-year in high school.

Opening day pitcher sophomore Jason Quinn held Oberlin's opponent to just four hits in seven innings, and had six strikeouts. "I was a little surprised that I threw as well as I did, but I also got away with a lot of bad pitches," said Quinn.

"Jason threw very well. He kept them off balance the whole time," added Mooney.

The team let down in the second game of the double header and lost 0-5 as they were held to just three hits while striking out a total of nine times. "Not many of us let the first one go and got ready to play the second one, and so we got kind of embarrassed," said Mooney.

The loss began a losing streak of five consecutive games before the team finally won their second game at the Urbana Tournament in southern Ohio. During the slide, Oberlin was outscored by its opponents 33-11. The lowest point during the losing streak came when two pitchers from Urbana College combined for a no-hitter against the Yeomen.

"So far this year we have been able to play good baseball for five out of seven innings every game. In those two innings, we played very bad baseball," explained Mooney.

"I thought the guys weren't aggressive enough," added junior outfielder Kwang Kim, who went four for 11 during the stretch. "They went up expecting the hits were just gonna come."

The losing ended for one game when the Yeomen played Cincinnati Bible College. First-year pitcher Dave Schummers had five strikeouts and held the opponent to just three runs for five innings. Gradus had three RBIs and sophomore Nate Walsh hit two for three and scored three runs.

After starting the season with a three for three performance against Penn-State, Johnson went only three for 21 in the following six games. "After I struck out a couple of times I started guessing at pitches, and they weren't throwing the pitches I was guessing," said Johnson.

The team couldn't follow up its win with another victory. The team dropped the next two games as it played perennial NCAC powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan in a double header. Still, Mooney maintains that the team continues to improve every game. He said, "We're becoming a tougher ball club."

Expectations are growing even in the midst of the season as the Yeomen are looking to go into each game with the attitude that they could play with any opponent and win games. "I would be disappointed if we finished this year under .500," said Quinn.

The Yeomen look to add some more to the win column as soon as the weather improves. Three of their games this season have already been postponed due to snow. They play Wittenberg in a double header Saturday and meet Hiram College at home Monday afternoon.


Oberlin

Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 124, Number 19; April 5, 1996

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