If, come May, the Tigers get anything close to the starting pitching they saw this past weekend, they may very well win conference.
Unfortunately, DePauw’s bats fell silent for most of their opening series away against Anderson, as the Tigers (1-2) only scored seven runs in three games.
“Our offensive approaches were off… most of people were early,” said junior pitcher and outfielder Mike Hammel. “Basically this week... we’re going to be… focusing on our offensive side and waiting for the baseball to actually travel into the hitting zone.”
Despite tossing a gem in game one, senior pitcher Wyatt Spector (6 IP, 1 ER, 4 K) took the loss in the series opener, as the Tigers got shut out on a two-hitter.
DePauw was able to bounce back in game two to secure its first win of the young season, defeating the Ravens 4-2.
The team's offense, led by junior third baseman Tate Stewart’s perfect three-for-three day at the plate, made up for three Tiger errors on the field.
Junior Riley Futterknecht settled down on the mound after a rough second inning, scattering four hits over six innings while allowing only two runs, both unearned.
Nick Horvath was credited with the save, as the junior reliever shut down the Ravens in the final two innings, fanning five of the six batters faced.
Sunday’s rubber match also looked promising for DePauw, as the team’s offense once again came to life, and at the right time.
Senior first baseman Connor Einertson’s three-run homer in the fourth erased an early 2-0 deficit.
However, after holding the Tigers' lead through the late innings on Saturday, it was the bullpen that let down the ball club on Sunday. DePauw blew the lead in what became an ugly, five-run eighth inning.
Anderson would go on to hold the Tigers in the ninth for a 7-5 win.
“Mentally, we were strong for 26 of the 27 innings we played this weekend,” said Head Coach Jayson Martin. “We let a couple of mistakes compound in the eighth inning…. We don’t expect that from a veteran group and they will get better at that.”
It was the second time in the series the Tigers wasted a quality start from their staff, this time coming from Hammel. The righty fanned nine and gave up only one earned run over five quality innings of work.
DePauw’s defensive struggles also continued, as the team encountered 30 mph winds during the game.
“Mentally, our problem was just accounting for and dealing with the wind conditions,” Einertson said. “[The winds] made for a lot of weird plays that normally wouldn’t happen.”
The Tigers return to action next Saturday, when they will open another three-game series against Manchester University in Westfield, Ind. The team will look to their talented staff to pick up where they left off against Anderson.
“From a pitching standpoint, we will fine tune some things with a couple of guys, but we really just hope to build on what we’ve been doing so far,” Martin said. “They were sharp and prepared physically and mentally and did a really nice job for us this weekend.”
