Bats silent, but pitching improves for Falcon boys

Published 6:00 pm Saturday, March 20, 2004

The pitching and defense held up longer but the bats were quieter Tuesday as the Falcon baseball team dropped its second game of the season.

After losing by 10 runs Monday against Anacortes, the South Whidbey varsity squad had a stingier outing against Archbishop Murphy the following afternoon. Though they held onto a 1-0 lead for four innings thanks to solid work on the mound by Joel Friesen, the Falcons couldn’t hold off their non-conference opponents forever, giving up seven runs in the final three innings to fall 7-1.

After giving up a total of 15 runs Monday, Tuesday’s brief, 1 hour, 20 minute outing was a big step forward. As they did the day before, the Falcons grabbed the lead early when Andrew Hosmer led off in the first with a double. He moved to third on a Dane Guetlin fly ball, then finished his tour of the bases when a single by junior Michael Lodell knocked him home.

For the next two innings, Hosmer shut Archbishop Murphy’s batters down, preserving his team’s slim lead. But a combination of good offense and bad luck erased that lead in the fourth. With runners on base and on the move, the Falcons tried to shut down a run for home, but an errant throw hit a runner in his helmet and bounced into the outfield, allowing the go-ahead run.

As Archbishop Murphy smacked its way to the victory on 10 total hits, the Falcons had no luck against the opposing pitchers. Though just two Falcon hitters struck out during the game, the team was not able to pick up a single hit after the first inning against Archbishop Murphy’s errorless defense.

After the game, coach Dave Guetlin credited pitcher Joel Friesen for his five innings on the mound, three of which were scoreless. He was also complimentary of his defense, specifically senior Conley White and Danny Parra.

Tuesday’s game, as well as another against Archbishop Murphy Friday, is a look ahead at the 2005 baseball landscape for South Whidbey. The Falcons move into a combined 2A/3A league with Archbishop Murphy next season.