Baseball swept at Emporia
Logan Jackson
Issue date: 3/4/10 Section: Sports
The Bulldogs needed a lift after being outscored 17-2 in the first two games of a four-game series against No. 10 Emporia State University.
Truman had seven hits and committed six errors in the first half of the series. The first game Sunday was a different story. The Bulldogs (1-8, 0-4 MIAA) didn't pick up a win but forced Emporia (8-2, 4-0 MIAA) into extra innings. Truman lost that game 2-1 in 12 innings.
Sophomore Ryan Trimble started the game and carried the load for Truman. He threw eight strong innings and gave up one run on four hits and struck out six. Head coach Dan Davis said Trimble's outing was one of the best he's seen since coming to Truman.
"He threw strikes," Davis said. "He was around the zone and attacked the zone aggressively. He didn't strike out a ton of guys, but he kept our defense in the game. This is the game right after the six-error game where we looked like we couldn't catch a cold. We made some tremendous plays behind him."
The 'Dogs lost the fourth game 9-3.
Emporia had 22 hits in the first two games but couldn't get anything going against Trimble. The Hornets have a team batting average of .303. Trimble said pitchers have to keep Emporia guessing at the plate.
"[Emporia] is a real good hitting team, so you have to mix it up," Trimble said. "I threw all three of my pitches, the fastball, splitter and slider. You keep them off balance and mix that in with throwing inside and outside."
Freshman Jarrett Eiskina took the loss for the Bulldogs. Emporia had a runner on second with two outs but he advanced to third after a wild pitch, and a seeing-eye single scored the winning run.
Davis said the team was upset after the game but showed they could play with one of the top teams in the nation.
"I saw serious disappointment in our kids' faces," Davis said. "That's a huge confidence boost to me. We felt like we should have won that game. Our guys really believe in themselves and think they have a chance."
Truman had seven hits and committed six errors in the first half of the series. The first game Sunday was a different story. The Bulldogs (1-8, 0-4 MIAA) didn't pick up a win but forced Emporia (8-2, 4-0 MIAA) into extra innings. Truman lost that game 2-1 in 12 innings.
Sophomore Ryan Trimble started the game and carried the load for Truman. He threw eight strong innings and gave up one run on four hits and struck out six. Head coach Dan Davis said Trimble's outing was one of the best he's seen since coming to Truman.
"He threw strikes," Davis said. "He was around the zone and attacked the zone aggressively. He didn't strike out a ton of guys, but he kept our defense in the game. This is the game right after the six-error game where we looked like we couldn't catch a cold. We made some tremendous plays behind him."
The 'Dogs lost the fourth game 9-3.
Emporia had 22 hits in the first two games but couldn't get anything going against Trimble. The Hornets have a team batting average of .303. Trimble said pitchers have to keep Emporia guessing at the plate.
"[Emporia] is a real good hitting team, so you have to mix it up," Trimble said. "I threw all three of my pitches, the fastball, splitter and slider. You keep them off balance and mix that in with throwing inside and outside."
Freshman Jarrett Eiskina took the loss for the Bulldogs. Emporia had a runner on second with two outs but he advanced to third after a wild pitch, and a seeing-eye single scored the winning run.
Davis said the team was upset after the game but showed they could play with one of the top teams in the nation.
"I saw serious disappointment in our kids' faces," Davis said. "That's a huge confidence boost to me. We felt like we should have won that game. Our guys really believe in themselves and think they have a chance."
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