Varsity baseball holds down Whitman

BLAZER FIELD, May 4 —

After two consecutive losses, varsity baseball (5-12) defeated the Whitman Vikings (8-6) 4-1 in a close match-up. All of the runs scored came before the fourth inning, however excellent pitching from senior co-captain Sammy Denenberg and solid defense allowed the Blazers to pull away with the win.

Even though the Blazers did not play a perfect game, they made clutch hits early in the game. Because of great defense, the Blazers' seven hits were enough to help them win. Throughout the entire game, Denenburg held the Viking offense to only three hits. He struck out five batters and forced others to hit pop-ups that were easily caught. Deneburg stated that this final home game of the season was special to him. "I was really pumped up and I was able to pitch one of the best games in my career,” he said.

Unlike most previous games, the Blazers had a successful first inning against Whitman, which allowed them to take control of the game early. The top of the first inning ended quickly when the Vikings got three consecutive outs. After this solid defense, the Blazer offense responded strongly. Junior Lucas Babinec started off the bottom of the inning with a triple, and was able to score after senior Alex Egber hit a pop fly the Vikings weren't able to catch. Senior Elliot Meyerson's grounder down the middle of the field allowed Egber to score the Blazer's second run. Head coach John MacDonald was both excited and surprised that the Blazers were able to start off the game with great intensity. "I didn't know how to handle it,” he said. "I was so happy I kissed our bat boy.”

The only Viking run came in the third inning after senior Sam Sharpe's triple hit to midfield allowed a Viking player to score. However, the Blazers quickly answered with two runs of their own. With two Blazer outs, junior Peirce Marston was able to score after Meyerson hit another single. Deneburg's triple to centerfield helped Meyerson score.

After the third inning the game was scoreless. The Blazer offense became less productive only getting two hits, and striking out more often. However, good defense was able to keep the scoreboard static. At the top of the sixth inning with the first base loaded a grounder directed at the pitcher resulted in a double play ending Whitman's possession quickly. In the seventh inning, the Blazers ended the Viking's final chance to score by forcing two pop-ups caught by Babinec and striking out a batter.

According to MacDonald, outstanding pitching from Denenburg was what ultimately allowed the Blazers to win. "I don't think we played too well but I think Sammy kept us in the game,” he said.

Senior co-captain Alex Egber agreed. "The game was won on the pitching mound,” he said.