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BAILEY'S TAKE
ON PIRATE SPORTS
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From the Anchor Desk
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
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By Brian Bailey |
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Diamond Pirates share top
billing with Jack Frost
�2006 Bonesville.net
Oh, the weather outside is
frightful,
But Pirate baseball is truly delightful,
And since we�ve no place to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!
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Replay
the archive of Monday night's Brian Bailey Show,
with guest Link Jarrett, the ECU baseball club's
hitting instructor and recruiting coordinator. |
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Select clip |
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We joked all during January
that the baseball season was starting a month late. January felt more like
May. As luck would have it, February felt like February this weekend at
Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Friday was nice enough. The
sun was out for opening day, and all was right with the world after a 6-1
East Carolina win over Maryland.
Saturday was a washout, with a
cold rain that came down most of the day.
Sunday brought with it frigid
temperatures for a doubleheader. The only things colder then the
temperatures were the Pirate bats in the opener. On a brutally cold morning
featuring snow flurries at the ballpark, the Pirates fell to the Terps 1-0.
Things continued to look bleak
in game two, as the Pirates fell behind 4-0. But ECU rallied and tied the
game on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth.
Then, with one out and runners
at first and third, first year Coach Billy Godwin made his first really big
decision.
With one out, the Pirates
attempted a suicide squeeze. It�s called a suicide for a reason. If it
works, you�re a genius. If someone doesn�t execute, or misses a sign, or if
it doesn�t work, then all bets are off.
Godwin decided to seize the
moment. The Terps had just given up the tying run, and were reeling after
blowing a four run lead.
Dale Mollenhauer dropped down
the bunt on the first pitch, and Stephen Batts scored on a close play at the
plate. The Terrapins thought they had the plate blocked, but the home plate
umpire ruled otherwise.
�I wouldn�t say it is
something that I do regularly,� Godwin told me on Monday. �We tried to
capture the momentum, by squeezing on the first pitch. I thought it was a
close play, and I might be biased, but I thought we got under the tag.�
Godwin had already shown early
in the day that he wasn�t afraid to gamble.
The Pirates trailed 1-0 in the
bottom of the ninth with two outs in the Sunday�s first game. With two
strikes on his hitter, Godwin was thinking breaking ball and sent his runner
from first.
The pitch was high and tight,
and the Pirate runner was gunned down to end the frustrating shutout loss.
�I�ve been more successful
with that play then it has cost me,� said Godwin. �It was a 1-2 pitch, and I
was thinking breaking ball in the dirt. The pitch was up and in. If the
pitch had been a breaking ball, I think we would have stolen the base.�
Godwin told reporters after
the doubleheader split that the comeback was a testament to the team's
substance.
�I was real proud of the club
from the standpoint of the character of the players,� Godwin said. �We lost
that first game 1-0 and won the second game after being down 4-0. We could
have packed it in and folded up at that point, but they didn�t.�
East Carolina opened the
weekend with Friday�s 6-1 win over Maryland.
In that game, catcher Jake
Smith did something I�ve never seen before. He hit a check-swing, two-run
home run over the right field wall.
You almost had to go back and
see it on video to believe it. I did go back, several times, and watched in
awe as Smith checked, and then started his home run trot. The Terrapin right
fielder came in on contact, and then took off to get the best view of the
rare play.
I thought the Pirate pitching
staff looked good, despite the weather. T.J. Hose rolled in the opener.
Game two on Sunday morning
featured Dustin Sasser�s season debut, and it was a good one, as Sasser went
7 innings, striking out five while scattering five hits and giving up just
the one run.
Former Rocky Mount star Carter
Harrell, one of my personal favorites, threw two shutout innings to keep the
Pirates close.
Shane Matthews got the start
in game three, and gave up four runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. Scott
Andrews followed with two shutout frames, and then Kevin Rhodes came in to
get the win during the comeback, pitching 2 1/3 shutout innings, giving up
just one hit and no walks while striking out three.
Next up for East Carolina is a
three-game home series with the College of Charleston. The Cougars swept
High Point last weekend and come to Greenville with a 3-0 record.
Please DON�T let it snow!
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Brian Bailey.
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02/23/2007 01:33:28 AM |
