This post was written by Hatchet reporter Joshua Soloman.
The Colonials are still working to figure out their identity as a ball club, and in the meantime, that means trying to figure out how to pick up victories, as well.
GW fell to 4-14 overall after losing three out of four in its series against Penn this weekend as inconsistent, error-filled ball plagued the team’s lineup.
A “small ball” offensive strategy might have been the key to their one victory and the hopeful signs they showed throughout all the games but one, but head coach Gregg Ritchie shied away from sticking that label upon his team’s approach.
“It’s called baseball. The game dictates how you play,” Ritchie said. “The game really shows you whether you’re going to play the so-called small ball or big ball or medium ball or mediocre ball or whatever. It’s baseball.”
GW split the second doubleheader of the weekend at Penn Sunday, winning the first game with a score of 6-4 but then dropping final game of the series, 6-4.
The Colonials scored their six runs in the first three frames of the first contest, as forcing three errors and five unearned runs. A couple push bunts, hit-and-runs, and aggressive base running lead to a sort of havoc that the Quakers could not handle. Junior Owen Beightol led the group with one hit, one RBI, and one run scored.
Freshman Max Kaplow did not have his best stuff on the mound, yielding six hits, four runs, and a walk in three and two-thirds work. Despite that, however, he earned his first collegiate win, something Ritchie partly attributed to the freshman’s confident attitude.
“Kaplow has that body language with every single pitch of every single inning of every single game whether he’s on the mound or whether he’s in the dugout,” Ritchie said. “The dude is an animal. He’s got the ultimate beast mode.”
The second game, and final of the series did not fare as well for the Colonials. They lost despite a rally in the eighth, narrowing the lead to 4-3.
A defensive collapse despite the best work of freshman pitcher Danny O’Donnell in the bottom half of the eighth brought home two additional runs for Penn, bringing it to 6-3.
Ritchie said that his young pitcher, who was clicking in four innings of relief work, earned about nine outs in that inning alone. GW threatened in the ninth, scoring one run. A double play then killed a first and third situation with one out to end its chances.
The Colonials dropped their first two games, 2-1 and 9-2, against Penn Saturday at home in Barcroft Park.
Junior Luke Staub dropped to 1-3 with a rocky first three innings but eventually turned his body language around and threw well, Ritchie said. Staub pitched a complete game of seven innings, two earned runs, one walk, and five strikeouts.
After going down early, the Colonials squandered a couple of opportunities to put a run across the plate. In the sixth, senior Derek Brown hit an RBI double to score freshman Andy Young from first. The seventh and final inning of the first game had GW set up with the tying run at second with one out- but back-to-back strikeouts sat down the Colonial’s chances of sending the game into extra innings.
The second game was not nearly as close due to physical and mental errors.
A leadoff walk in the third surrendered by junior Aaron Weisberg, four innings, five hits, six runs, one earned, followed by an error by the pitcher and a bases-loaded hit batsman lead to a two-run inning and the undoing of the Colonials.
In the third inning, freshman catcher Travers Nammnak was doubled up as he tried to advance to second base on the hit-and-run but did not realize the batter lined out to right field. This lead to Ritchie pulling his catcher for other freshman catcher Matthieu Robért. But Robért then made several defensive mistakes which lead to Ritchie bringing in Young to catch, who he said had not played the position since ninth grade.
“Completely unacceptable for any player to go out there with bad attitude or effort or go out there and make mental mistakes because of poor focus.You’re not going to play. I will play every single guy, including my bullpen,” Ritchie said.
Robért then played well in the second doubleheader, but Ritchie said no player is guaranteed a slot on the field on any given day, a further sign of a team seeking to meld itself into a cohesive unit.
“There is no entitlement on this team whatsoever. There are no freshmen, there are no seniors, it’s only GW baseball players that figure out how to play the game tough, hard and correct. That’s it,” said Ritchie.
