Gettysburg baseball completes their regular season 31-6
Sophomore Luke Lawerence winding up a pitch to close the game
By Kelly Keith, Staff Writer
Gettysburg baseball split a Centennial Conference doubleheader at Haverford College this past Saturday. The Bullets lost the opener 9-1 but took a 6-2 victory in the nightcap, which was Head Coach John Campo’s 1,000th game coached at Gettysburg College.
In the opener, the Bullets showcased a season-high of five errors, which allowed for Haverford to capture seven unearned runs. Senior Drew Felsenthal was charged with the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits and three walks over six innings.
Senior Nate Simon broke the Gettysburg College career hits record, exceeding the former number of 193 hits, when he hit an RBI-double to left in the second game. Bullets went up 4-2 in the fifth on an RBI-single from Senior Al Posch and Simon’s record-breaking double.
In the nightcap, first year Rich Power pitched the first six innings of the game to earn the victory for the bullets, allowing just two runs. Sophomore Luke Lawrence came on in the seventh to complete his fourth save of the year, tying the Gettysburg single-season record. Lawrence tossed three shutout innings while scattering four hits and allowing not one walk.
Lawrence discussed how the Bullets pulled together to defeat Haverford in the nightcap. “We had a rough first game. It hurt our pride a little, so we knew we had to come back strong and pay to our potential. It was a nice win.”
At Kirchhoff Field this Sunday the Bullets defeated McDaniel College 6-4. Senior Austin Davis finished 4-for-6 with three runs, and Posch went 3-for-5 for Gettysburg. Junior Eric Hungerford pitched the first four innings of the game and allowed just two hits and no runs.
Senior Chris Yoda earned the win, throwing four 2/3 innings before Senior Patrick O’Grady attained the mound for the final out of the game. Sunday was O’Grady’s 151st game played for the Bullets, which earned him a school record. The previous day O’Grady set the record for most games started, at 150 games.
On Monday, Gettysburg College baseball had a record-breaking day, as they defeated Penn State-York 16-0 home at Kirchhoff Field. The Bullets, now 31-6 break the single-season record for victories set a year ago while winning for the 23rd time in its last 24 home games. Simon had a memorable day for Gettysburg, finishing 4-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs, breaking the school record for single season RBIs of 44. Simon’s fourth hit of the game marked his 200th hit, as he became the fi rst player in school history to reach the milestone.
First-year Eric Brown earned the win for the Bullets, pitching five innings. Brown allowed just two hits, three walks and surrendered three strikeouts. First-year Aaron Bezio and seniors Brett Harrington, Rob Stalzer and Joe Saladino fi nished the shutout with one inning each.
Gettysburg College baseball earned the number one seed in the Centennial Conference Playoffs, which will be hosted home at Kirchhoff field. The Bullets will face Johns Hopkins University in a fi rst-round this Thursday at 3:00 at Kirchhoff Field. The number two seed in the conference, Haverford College, will host third-seeded Muhlenberg College in the other first-round game on Thursday before the remainder of the tournament will be held at Gettysburg College Saturday and Sunday.
The Bullets have split with Johns Hopkins this 2014 season, winning at home. Senior Captain Al Posch explained what the team needs to in order to stay focused and play their best this Thursday. “We got to have fun and be loose. It’s a short season now, we need to have good bats and play Gettysburg baseball. We need to focus on defense and I like our chances.”
Senior Captain Patrick O’Grady described how the team must play in order to fulfill their goal of becoming Centennial Conference champions. “I think to be successful in the conference playoffs we need to do what we’ve done all year and that’s play consistent baseball. If we field well, pitch well, and get timely hitting, our team has the ability to make a deep playoff run.”
Come watch the Gettysburg baseball team take on Johns Hopkins this Thursday 3:00 at Kirchhoff Field. Good luck Bullets!
