To senior and pitcher Mark Jakubowski, last week’s performance for UR’s baseball team was a mixed bag.
It was a week that had glimpses of the team’s potential and hopes for the remainder of the season, sprinkled with lackluster performances.
“Overall, I think we were disappointed by the way the week finished,” Jakubowski said. “We understand that there are a lot more games to be played. As a team, we know we can beat the best teams, as we [did] against No. 4 Marietta [College] and No. 13 [SUNY] Brockport, so our confidence will always be there.”
The weekend series on March 29 and 30 featured splitting a two-game set against Brockport in which both games went to extra innings. UR won the first game 4-3, but dropped the second 6-4.
The team also swept a doubleheader against SUNY Fredonia the day after losing to Brockport. The Yellowjackets shutout Fredonia in the first game 9-0 and downed them in the second game 7-2.
The doubleheader against SUNY Oneonta led to a disappointing 6-3 loss in game one and a tie in game two, putting their record at 8-5-1 for the season.
The series against Brockport was slated to be a doubleheader, but the first game lasted 14 innings, forcing the second game to be moved to the following day.
Game two featured a three-all stalemate that ended when senior Scott Smith lined a single into centerfield scoring freshman Dave Kloc.
Senior Justin Martinez led the offense, batted four-for-seven at the plate and scored a run. Smith hit three-for-six.
Freshman Jim Bard added two RBIs from two hits as well. Jakubowski picked up the win after pitching four innings of two-hit ball.
His outing followed a stellar performance from junior starter Steve Foley, who scattered six hits over five innings of work while striking out four.
Game two featured the same drama, as the teams headed into extra innings again. But this time Brockport outlasted UR.
Senior Mark Jackson crushed two solo shots in the game. One of his homers tied the game at three in the eighth inning. Freshmen Devin Shane and Dan Price also had two hits apiece.
Freshman pitcher John Fishback took the loss after giving up one run in his four-innings of relief following senior starter Mike Zwolleg’s five-inning, three-strikeout performance.
In game one, sophomore Jon Fanning led UR’s bats by slugging his first collegiate home run, which added two runs to the scoreboard.
He finished the game with three RBIs. Bard also went two for three with a run scored.
Freshman Peter McEneaney got the win, by pitching four innings of two-hit shutout baseball.
UR’s bullpen kept Fredonia hitless over the next five innings.
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In game two, UR went right back to scoring early, getting the better of a much feistier Fredonia team. UR took advantage of Fredonia’s mistakes to blow the game wide open in the third, scoring five runs with two outs.
Senior Adam Braveman led the way with three RBIs, while Martinez and junior Dan Pfolh each scored twice during the game. Sophomore pitcher Matt Koren was the winning pitcher, tossing a one hitter over 4 and 2/3 innings, with four strikeouts.
Oneonta stifled UR’s momentum, serving the team a 6-3 loss. According to Jakubowski, UR was up against a good team that got the better of them in game one of the doubleheader.
“Obviously, it would have been nice to take two from Oneonta, but they are a very good team and have some good pitching,” Jakubowski said. “We definitely didn’t play our best, but we know that we can compete with them.”
In game one, Oneonta ran out to a five-run lead, only to see it cut to two by a Jackson three-run homer in the sixth inning.
UR was silenced for the rest of the game and missed out on several scoring opportunities, especially in the seventh inning when the team failed to plate Braveman after a coming up with a single.
Game two was a tightly contested match, as the teams were tied at one going into the eighth inning. The game was called on account of darkness, forcing both teams to down a hard-earned tie.
UR took the lead in the first, when a Price groundout brought home Fanning, who had singled and moved to third on a double by Smith. UR had their chance, but double plays ended scoring threats in the next two innings.
For the week, UR players earned many individual honors. Jackson was named University Athletic Association Player of the Week.
McEneany and Jakubowski were named Liberty League Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Jakubowski cited his team’s overall play as a factor that contributed to his reception of the award.
“It was a bit of a surprise, but a tremendous honor,” Jakubowski said. “Our defense deserves a lot of the recognition, because without their great play behind me, I would have never received this award.”
With the team now sporting a record of 8-5-1, UR has some catching up to do if they want to reach or even surpass their 25-game win total of last season.
According to Jakubowski, the team is heading in the right direction with conference play looming.
“There is no sense of urgency. We have had some letdowns, and last week we definitely didn’t play our best,” Jakubowski said. “However, we have played the better part of our schedule and have beaten some very good teams. Our season is just beginning. Conference play is the major part of our schedule which determines our postseason play.”
The Yellowjackets host Ithaca College on April 7, a team that with a record at the .500 mark.
After facing Ithaca, the team heads on the road to take on Medaille College on April 7.
The team heads home to face off against St. John Fisher College on April 9.
Allard can be reached at dallard@campustimes.org.
