Junior Alex Caghan scored off a single by freshman Nate Mulberg in the sixth inning, bringing the ‘Jackets within a run, 4-3. Photo by Hannah Bazarian, Photo Editor.
When a team commits a surplus of errors in a game, the squad is said to be unfocused or perhaps simply unskilled.
When two teams do it head-to-head, however, it makes for a thrilling game to watch, as without a potent defense to keep hits to a minimum bats come alive and a slugfest — one of the most entertaining types of games — takes shape.
This was the kind of contest fans of the yellow and blue bore witness to in the night cap of the baseball team’s double header against Clarkson University on Sunday, April 3. After dropping the day game, 8-3, the Yellowjackets rebounded by pounding the Golden Knights’ pitching in a 15-7 victory.
Seniors Matt Francis and Steve Just led the UR attack. Francis went 4-for-5 with two home runs — including a solo shot to lead off the game — and four RBIs while tacking on four runs scored. Just, for his part, went 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a home run. Just hit beyond the fence three times over the course of the weekend, having smashed two home runs in the day game.
By the end of the third inning, the Yellowjackets had piled up a 5-0 lead, thanks to Francis’ solo home run leading off the game, a two-run double on the part of junior Rob Barnard and an added two runs courtesy of Golden Knights’ fielding errors in the third.
Despite the early offensive efforts, Clarkson twice came within a run of stealing the Yellowjackets’ lead. Taking advantage of a slew of fielding errors throughout the game, the visitors rallied to remain just behind the ‘Jackets, 8-7, by the end of the sixth.
In the late game, however, the ‘Jackets defense perked up. The Golden Knights wouldn’t score another run, while the Yellowjacket bats kept pace. Francis doubled home freshman Chris Davis early in the seventh, then came in on junior Alex Caghan’s double. Just added an RBI single to put the ‘Jackets up to stay.
“The mental errors are just a part of baseball that sometimes happen because you get so caught up in the game,” Francis said. “I feel that as the season gets rolling and we get more accustomed to playing in cold weather, these mistakes will occur less and less.”
Bernstein is a member of
the class of 2014.
