Britons drop tough doubleheader to Adrian

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» GAME TWO STATISTICS

By Jake Lloyd, '07
Albion College Sports Information Student Assistant
 

Albion College junior rightfielder Chris Trott steps on third base during the first game of the doubleheader against Adrian College. Photograph by Dave Trumpie.

ALBION, Mich. - In two thrilling games at sun-drenched Frank Joranko Field, the Albion College baseball team could not solve Adrian reliever Matt Zatkin in losing both games of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association doubleheader, 8-7 and 8-6.

In the opener the Britons rolled into the seventh inning with a seemingly comfortable 7-3 lead, but Adrian erupted for five runs on six hits and an error to take the lead. Albion starter Steve Gordon (Plymouth/Plymouth Salem) started the inning but was pulled after getting one out and allowing three hits. Gordon finished with a no decision, giving up six runs on 10 hits.

Sophomore first baseman Mike Pisha (Wixom/Walled Lake) entered for Gordon but could not cool the red-hot Bulldogs' bats. It appeared Albion might sneak out with a 7-6 victory when Ben Weaks lifted a high fly ball to left field, but junior left fielder David Seals (Alma/Alma), who was playing deep, couldn't quite reach it, making a valiant diving effort, and pinch-runner Jeff Nokovich scored to tie the game. Adrian took the lead on an RBI single off the bat of shortstop Tony Vennekotter.

The Britons couldn't muster a hit in the seventh as Zatkin shut them down. Zatkin got the win, pitching two-and-a-third scoreless innings. Pisha (1-1) suffered the loss.

Junior right fielder Chris Trott (Plymouth/Salem) led the Albion offense with three hits, two runs scored and two RBI. Senior designated hitter Matt Shook (Coldwater/Coldwater) and senior third baseman Mike Cieszkowski (Howell/Hartland) each knocked two of Albion's 10 hits. Cieszkowski scored two runs while Shook scored a run and batted in four runs.

Shook had the big hit in the Albion first inning, slamming a base-clearing double to the gap in left centerfield. The shot gave the Britons a 3-0 lead.

The bottom of the first was one of many big innings in the early game. Adrian scored two in the third and one in the fifth to knot the score at three, but a four-run Albion fifth, highlighted by a two-run home run by Trott, his second of the year, gave the Britons the 7-3 advantage they would take to the top of the seventh.

Albion looked like it might get blown out of Joranko in the second game because of sloppy play and non-existent hitting, but the Britons came alive in the bottom of the fourth. Trailing 5-0 entering the inning and with no hits, Albion got four consecutive one-out hits from Trott, Cieszkowski, Shook and Pisha to cut into Adrian's lead. A wild pitch from Adrian starter Bobby Wrozek allowed Shook to score and made it a 5-3 ballgame.

Albion College senior second baseman Mark Flancbaum stretches to make a play in the field in the first game of the doubleheader against Adrian College. Photograph by Dave Trumpie.

After Adrian scored two in the fifth Albion came back again, scoring a run on senior Mark Flancbaum's (Orchard Lake/West Bloomfield) triple coupled with shortstop Brian Sayer's RBI single to make it 7-4.

Albion added two in the sixth on an RBI double by sophomore catcher Pete Grostic (Muskegon/Muskegon) and an RBI single by first-year outfielder Tim Gough (Jackson/Jackson) to cut the deficit to 7-6. And the Britons had the chance to tie the game or take the lead with runners on first and third and just one out.

But in came Zatkin, who retired the final two Albion batters of the inning.

After Adrian got an insurance run in the top of the seventh, Zatkin shut down the Britons in order in the final half inning of the afternoon.

Wrozek got the win, giving up six earned runs in five and a third innings to improve to 4-2. Seales, who fell to 3-4, got the loss, giving up seven runs, six earned, in four-and-a-third innings.

Eight of Albion's nine starters each got one of the Britons' eight hits.

With the losses Albion fell to 16-12, 6-3 in the MIAA. First-place Adrian improved to 17-12, 9-3.

Heading into next week's final MIAA homestand at Frank Joranko Field against Hope, the Britons are a game and a half back of Adrian.

Updated Saturday April 17, 2004 by Albion College Sports Information.