Yeomen sluggers split doubleheader 1-0, 7-1

Baseball team ties last year's total win record with three

The baseball gods dropped a banana peel on the pitcher's mound Tuesday leading to the disappointing split of a double header versus Bluffton College.

Taking the first game 1-0, the team was pumped for the next game, but they got off to a slow start and left the day with a 7-1 loss.

In the first game, Oberlin took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with starter sophomore Matt Burns keeping Bluffton scoreless and junior Dave Schummers bringing first-year Chris Irish home.

Burns kept up the intensity, pitching a consistent seven innings to get the shut out.

"Matt pitched a great game. He's been consistent day in and day out," Head Baseball Coach Lahetta said. His praise of Burns didn't extend to most of the team, however. "The other guys need to give him a little more support, both defensively and offensively," he said.

Lahetta said Burns really showed poise and maturity during the game. "There's a big difference from last year. Last year he was a thrower; this year he's a pitcher. He's not trying to strike everybody out but he's throwing more strikes. He's mixing speeds a lot," Lahetta said.

"I was too tired to throw a good fast ball. Maybe they were looking for something faster," Burns said.

The in-field play supported Burns' pitching throughout the game. Bluffton put down tough grounders that first-year Andrew Smith and Schummers handled well.

"It's nice to know that you're giving the team some confidence," Burns said.

Irish said Burns and junior Carson Keeble definitely add an air of confidence to the team. "When [Burns] is on the mound, he can shut any team down. When he's pitching, we're 3-3," he said.

The second game brought the Yeomen's enthusiasm to a screeching halt. Down by four in the second inning, the offense could not pull the team out of the hole even with a late seventh inning run when Schummers once again welcomed home a runner, this time Smith.

"We seemed to settle down after the second inning," Lahetta said. "[Fradin] had some control problems after that, but he pitched a pretty decent ball game for this being his first start," he said.

Junior Mike Fradin eventually gave up three runs in the second inning, taking the loss.

On Saturday, the Yeomen dropped two to Denison. Burns, pitching in the first game, allowed four runs. They lost the second game 7-1.

"There wasn't enough offense, especially in the first game," Burns said. Denison showed off an impressive bull-pen adding to the frustration. "It's the first we've seen of a good lefty," Burns said.

Lahetta has been experimenting with the batting order trying to produce more runs. Burns will start in a series of challenging games including undefeated Ohio Wesleyan, the top ranked College of Wooster and Allegheny College in the upcoming weeks. "It's really tough competition. We're looking to be the spoiler a little bit," Lahetta said.

The team (3-17) has matched their win record of last year, but Lahetta wasn't overly proud of the record. "Matching last year's win total is great, but we should really have four or five more wins," Lahetta said. "We are competitive this year."

High and outside: Baseball player keeps an eye on ball in the 1-0 win over Bluffton Tuesday. Though the batters are having difficulty producing runs, the team is keeping games close. (photo by Matt Green)