With the non-conference schedule coming to a close, the Loggers’ chemistry is coming together, and they are looking forward to continuing a solid season.
The season is in full swing right now, playing back-to-back weekends in Los Angeles from Feb. 6-8 where they went 1-2 and in Portland on Feb. 13-14 where they went 1-3.
On Friday Feb. 6 the Loggers battled Pomona-Pitzer in the season opener, winning 9-4 and rallying in the eighth and ninth for three and four runs after trailing 3-2 going into the eighth inning.
First-year student Cal Muramura (Honolulu, Hawaii) went 4-4 with two runs scored and led the way.
He offered his thoughts on the game.
“I did not know I was able to hit how I did this past weekend, but I guess all those hours of hitting in the cages really paid off. The big thing is, I have to also learn from my mistakes at the plate and carry them on to the next week to improve every day,” Muramura said.
In the next game against Cal Lutheran, the Loggers fell 7-3 in a game where they rattled off 11 hits, but it was the four errors that held them from success in the end. The second game of the doubleheader was cancelled.
The final game of the weekend ended 19-17.
The Loggers were down 12-5 and 19-8 at points during the game but rallied for three runs in the eighth inning and six in the ninth inning, which included a grand slam from sophomore Layne Croney (Corvallis, Ore.) to pull within two runs.
Again, it was errors that brought down the Loggers, as they committed six of them. The comeback was certainly the highlight of the game and showed the resilience the team is capable of having.
Muramura added his thoughts on the comeback.
“In our minds, that was one of the best attempts at making a comeback because all of our bench players stepped up in a situation where we thought we were going to lose. Even though we eventually lost, it showed that anyone can make a difference in contributing to our cause,” Muramura said.
The following weekend in Portland on Feb. 13-14 the Loggers had two doubleheaders, the first against Concordia (twice), Corban and Linfield.
In the first game they crushed Concordia 9-0 as sophomore Collin Maier (Billings, Mont.) pitched an absolute gem, having eight shutout innings.
Junior Chris Zerio (Pleasanton, Calif.) added three hits and an RBI in the win.
The second game the Loggers fell 7-6 against Concordia, where first-year student David Follett (Billings, Mont.) received his first career start.
“For my first time pitching in college it was a lot of fun, and I didn’t let my nerves get to me,” Follett said.
On Saturday Feb. 14, The Loggers lost 3-1 against Corban where first-year student Merle Rowan-Kennedy (Seattle, Wash.) received his first career start and flourished, allowing three runs in 6.2 innings.
“I’ve had my ups and downs this year, and there have been a lot of learning experiences, but I think that I have been able to learn from my mistakes, and the guidance of my older teammates has certainly helped me,” Rowan-Kennedy said.
In the final game of the weekend the Loggers fell 8-0 against Linfield.
Overall, the Loggers are now sitting at 2-5 (0-0 in conference), but it is just the beginning of the season.
There is much to look forward to as the season goes on, including this weekend’s trifecta against Lewis and Clark.
