Nine Fight Valiantly

The Yeomen played three games at Allegheny College last weekend, and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, came home with three more losses on their record. On Wednesday, the Yeomen gave a surprisingly lackluster performance against Case Western Reserve University en route to another loss.

The Yeomen's visit to Allegheny came at a time when the Gators were playing perhaps the best baseball of any team in the country. Two weeks ago, Allegheny was ranked 22nd in the Division III national poll. The most recent poll, released Tuesday, has the Gators at number four. After three straight defeats, the Yeomen could console themselves with this fact: at least they were never pummeled as badly as the previous fourth-ranked team, Ohio Wesleyan, who lost to Allegheny 22-4.

The first game of Saturday's double-header began well for Oberlin. After giving up an unearned run in the first, senior pitcher Matt Burns did not allow a hit for the next two innings. The game unraveled suddenly in the fourth, however, when the Gators touched up Burns for eight runs, four unearned. Allegheny collected only four hits in the inning, but walks, hit batsmen, and the Yeomen's defensive mistakes combined to give the Gators more opportunities than they had earned.

As the game wore on, Oberlin's offense got going in fits and starts, but the Yeomen never threatened to pull close. Junior Andy Smith and sophomore Ross Golowicz each had RBI groundouts in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, bringing the final score to 10-2.

In the second game, senior Mike Fradin started for the Yeomen and pitched well. After a rough first inning in which he gave up three runs, Fradin settled down and kept the Yeomen within striking distance until the fifth. Oberlin had pulled to within two runs of the Gators in the top of the inning, but in the bottom half Oberlin self-destructed in familiar fashion. A Yeoman error prolonged the inning for the Gators, and Allegheny's batters took full advantage of the opportunity, scoring three unearned runs. That was more than enough offense for the Gators, who won 6-1.

Sunday's game followed a similar pattern. The Gators jumped out to an early lead that the Yeomen could not surmount with late-inning rallies. Sophomore Eben Askins took the loss. Askins gave up eight runs (six earned) in five innings of work, throwing 108 pitches, an important feat of endurance given the limited number of arms in Oberlin's bullpen.

The Yeomen's best chance to climb back in the game came in the eighth. Golowicz and Smith both collected RBI hits before a single out was recorded. But three consecutive strikeouts quickly put the rally to rest, and the game ended with the Yeomen on the wrong side of a 10-4 score.

Although Oberlin left Allegheny without a victory, Askins found an upside. "There was definitely a change in attitude," he said. "We were definitely hitting the ball better." The Yeomen did fare better against Allegheny's pitching staff than they had against 18th ranked Wooster the previous week. In three games against the Fighting Scots, the Yeomen scored only two runs, compared with seven runs in the three games versus Allegheny.

Having played six games in a row against top-ranked teams, the Yeomen can look forward to a schedule that only promises to get easier. If the team is to improve upon last year's 6-28 finish, however, they will have to play better than they did Wednesday in a 16-5 loss to Case Western Reserve University.

After his lengthy outing against Allegheny, Askins took the mound against CWRU on only three days' rest. Askins did not last long, giving up seven runs in two-thirds of an inning. Senior Ray Cagan took over in the first and proceeded to pitch until the sixth inning.

Cagan, who began the year at third base, has seen his time on the mound increase dramatically. His performance Wednesday was one of the few bright spots for the Yeomen. After allowing one run in 4 1/3 innings, his ERA is now the lowest on the team, although he has not thrown nearly the same amount of innings as starters like Burns and Askins.

On offense, sophomore Bob Montag provided the crowd with an awesome display of power in the sixth inning, when he launched a soaring drive that cleared the 376 foot marker in left field by a good ten feet - the first home run of his Oberlin College career. Smith delivered some clutch hitting for the Yeomen, twice driving in runners with two out. Otherwise, the Yeoman had little to feel good about.

"The Case game was like how we played two years ago," said Askins, referring to the Yeomen's costly defensive mistakes. "It was a step backward."

The Yeomen will try to right themselves when they take on division rival Earlham College at home this Saturday. The doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1 p.m., with the second game slated for 3:30 p.m.