With a close record of wins and losses, chances for nationals are up in the air
BY: Steven Buechter
Staff Writer
March 17—The Meramec Archers won their game against Milwaukee Area Technical College by 11 points in five innings, with a final score of 14-3.
The Archers were down 2-0 in the first inning but made a comeback by the second and did not lose their lead for the rest of the game. Audience cheers were almost entirely for Meramec and the team’s performance created an energetic crowd.
Freshman catcher Anthony Rask described the game as “all around…a good day” for the Archers, emphasizing the defensive strength of the team.
“I thought the defense did really well. Pitching was great and offense was really good too,” Rask said.
Pitching has been among the team’s greatest strengths throughout the season, Rask said.
Head baseball coach, Scott Goodrich, said that he also believed the team has had “really good” performance from their pitchers, both starting and those coming in from the bullpen.
However, he also identified a common weakness of this season.
Goodrich also said that despite winning, the team didn’t take advantage of all scoring opportunities during the March 17 game.
“We did a good job on the mound throwing strikes, keeping ourselves in the game. I thought offensively we could have done a little bit better. We had a ton of chances to score which is a great thing because that meant we were getting our runners on and giving ourselves opportunities,” said Goodrich.
Goodrich described the season so far as “ok” and clarified that the team’s current record and staistics are not bad.
“You can do this every season. You look at one or two games and think ‘if we would have done this one thing a little better we would have won that game.’ We just need to continue to get better as the season goes on,” said Goodrich.
Rask said that the March 17 game was a potential “turning point” for the Archers going into regionals. The best moment of the game, in his view, was when he hit a three-run homerun.
“First college home run,” Rask said. “Got it under my belt, so it’s all good.”
Goodrich, however, said that what was most important was winning the game.
“It was a bases-loaded walk to end it,” said Goodrich. “That’s maybe not the most exciting way to end a game, but we had to get a victory any way we could so we’ll take it.”
Since the March 17 game, Archers baseball has won a majority of their games, but it might not be enough to make up for heavy losses at the beginning of the season. With a loss record nearly as high as their wins, it remains to be seen whether or not Archers baseball will make it to nationals in April.
