BB: USAC: USA South Athletic Conference

[narch]

Now if MU sweeps this weekend they could be in position for the 4 or 5 spot! What do you think should be the right play here?

not sure what you're asking, but i think the monarchs should try to win every game they have left on the schedule

[PNeal7]

All very good points Narch. I agree completely that I think this weekend decides that race.

[Boysofsummer21]

Narch - sorry was asking if it was worth playing for the 4 or 5 spot. I am not a fan of the format and really don't like it when there is a chance for a team to go home on the first day. Methodist looks to be starting to come together and if they keep this up could be trouble in the tournament.

[narch]

Narch - sorry was asking if it was worth playing for the 4 or 5 spot. I am not a fan of the format and really don't like it when there is a chance for a team to go home on the first day. Methodist looks to be starting to come together and if they keep this up could be trouble in the tournament.

if they keep score, it's worth trying to win...and i could care less about seeding - with perry on the hill, mu has a chance to win the first game...if they go home after day 1, it's because they didn't play well enough to win

i'm not sure that mu is coming together...they swept a conference weekend for the first time this season, but a 2 game winning streak isn't enough, at this stage - if this team is going to finish above .500 (not to mention get to the 25 win mark), they've got to play much better going forward - they've got lynchburg (23-6) on wednesday, ncwc to finish the conference season, the conference tourney, and 2 vs. emory (19-8), one vs. wesley (18-9) and one vs. mwc (9-12-1)....it's going to be tough to get 8 wins

[narch]

perry might have clinched pitcher of the year, going the distance in a 3-2 monarch win today and collecting 12 strikeouts along the way - the 2 er will raise his era a bit, though

nice win for mu...i'm hoping for another tomorrow

[narch]

if (and that's a big if) the monarchs can hold on to this 6-3 lead and beat ncwc AND ferrum can beat greensboro...the monarchs will be the #3 seed in the tournament...just thought i'd throw that out there

[D-BAT]

April 7, 2012

WINCHESTER, Va. -  No. 12/18 Shenandoah University earned a split of its weekend USA South Conference baseball series with No. 3/3 Christopher Newport University with an 8-7 win Saturday afternoon.

Shenandoah (22-8, 8-4 USA South) secures sole possession of second place in the league with the victory over the Captains (25-5, 9-3).

The win is also the 400th of the career for SU skipper Kevin Anderson. Anderson is now 400-216-1 in a combined 13 seasons at Shenandoah and James Madison.

Victory No. 400 might have been the last in a long line of wins, but it was far from easy.

Leading 8-3 with two outs in the ninth after freshman Matt Riegler retired two of the first three, the doors nearly completely came off for the Hornets.

Christopher Newport saw seven consecutive men reach base and had the bases loaded when Anderson turned to Jeff Stanek to try and end the threat.

Stanek, the fourth SU reliever of the frame, got catcher Ben Lenda looking on a 3-2 pitch to end the game and give the Hornets the one-run victory.

The Shenandoah win snaps a nine-game winning streak for Christopher Newport.

Senior Cory Nelson (4-3) allowed three runs (just one earned) on six hits and three walks in 7 2/3 innings.

Riegler recorded the next four outs before Kyle Scallion and Andrew Zarobila came on prior to Stanek.

Kurt Krout led a 14-hit attack with three hits while Nick Beall had a three-run HR in the first to give SU a 4-0 lead.

Jacob Vaughn (4-1) took the loss. He allowed six runs on eight hits in 2.0 innings.

SU is back in action on Monday night in a 6:00 home game against future ODAC rival Eastern Mennonite.

###

[narch]

reading the box score, it looks like ncwc made it exciting having a runner thrown out rf to c for the 2nd out in a 6-5 monarch win - ncwc got out of 2 bases loaded jams in the 7th and 9th...when teams throw around thigpen and such, other monarchs will have to step up if they are going to make any kind of late run - mu "improves" to 19-16, 6-6 and secures a chance for the #3 tournament seed...let's go panthers

[narch]

i must have looked at the fc and gc records wrong, since gc's win actually accomplished what i hoped for...a 3 way tie - mu should get the #3 seed by virtue of their 2-2 record vs. cnu and su

[forheavendial4999]

http://www.usasouth.net/sports/bsb/2011-12/releases/20120407ridq8a

Looks like Methodist is the 4. I have no idea the methodology.

Perry would be held for a seemingly likely CNU matchup, right?

[narch]

http://www.usasouth.net/sports/bsb/2011-12/releases/20120407ridq8a

Looks like Methodist is the 4. I have no idea the methodology.

Perry would be held for a seemingly likely CNU matchup, right?

after looking at it 63 times, i missed the fact that gc was 3-1 in the fc, mu, gc 3 way head-to-head, while mu was 2-2 and fc was 1-3

i think it is likely that perry pitches game 1...losing the first game is not a good option and it increases the possibility that he can pitch again over the weekend if the monarchs continue to advance

[LTBB1971]

Really exciting game Friday.  Methodist beat NCWC 3-2.  C. Perry did great with 12 K's.  Bishops couldn't touch him in first 7 innings.  Kid was ahead 0-2 in just about every batter, most dominating performance I've seen in some time against NCWC. 

[forheavendial4999]

http://www.usasouth.net/sports/bsb/2011-12/releases/20120407ridq8a

Looks like Methodist is the 4. I have no idea the methodology.

Perry would be held for a seemingly likely CNU matchup, right?

after looking at it 63 times, i missed the fact that gc was 3-1 in the fc, mu, gc 3 way head-to-head, while mu was 2-2 and fc was 1-3

i think it is likely that perry pitches game 1...losing the first game is not a good option and it increases the possibility that he can pitch again over the weekend if the monarchs continue to advance

Well...they're gonna play CNU -- just a question of whether it's on Day 1 (if they lose to Ferrum) or Day 2 (if they beat Ferrum). I think I have that right...let me know if I don't.

Methodist is eventually going to have to rely on the bats to get them through. I'd want Perry to be able to give me my best chance to beat CNU and hope the bats can get me through Ferrum. Do you think anyone else can beat CNU?

One possibility is to have Perry available in relief against Ferrum for a couple of innings if you need him, then start against CNU whenever that game happens. We saw what happened with not Perry pitching against CNU in the regular season. The staff game 2 worked against Ferrum...why not try that in Game 1? Would keep your options better for later in the tournament if Perry can get you by CNU. Guys like Womble and Lee that appear inconsistent but at times overpowering might be more valuable later in the tournament.

And if you lost to Ferrum then beat CNU, you still get a day off and if you threw a staff game against Ferrum, all or most of those guys would be back fully available.

[D-BAT]

April 9, 2012
By Greg Brill

WINCHESTER — Christopher Newport almost did it again.

Fresh off a comeback win on Friday night over rival Shenandoah University that clinched the program's first USA-South Conference regular season baseball title since 2008, the Captains put up four runs in the ninth inning on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Field, loading the bases with the would-be tying run only 90 feet away.

With his bullpen blowing up by the batter, SU coach Kevin Anderson brought on Jeff Stanek to try and nail down the win.

The fourth reliever of the inning for the Hornets, Stanek didn't seem to mind that this was his first non-start appearance of the season.

He had one job and that was to get the third out. Stanek had an interesting battle with CNU catcher Ben Lenda, but got the out that was needed. Stanek got Lenda on a delayed called strike three to wrap up an 8-7 victory for SU.

"Coach told me, 'Go right at him,'" Stanek said. "We didn't have any open bases to give [Lenda]. I was very excited for the opportunity.

"It's a 3-2 count, bases loaded, so you can't let a pitch like that go by. I think it was a strike."

The win was the 400th for Anderson, who is in his ninth season with the Hornets. Anderson now has an overall record of 400-216-1 in 13 seasons, including four at Division I James Madison University in the mid 1990s.

The Hornets were happy to gain a split of the series, after falling to CNU 6-3 on Friday. From the start, the Hornets looked inspired and ready to play with purpose. That it ended up a one-run win didn't seem to matter too much to those in the SU dugout.

"I guess you can say a win's a win," said SU senior center fielder Jake Pendergraft, who leads the USA-South in batting and had his 15th multiple-hit game in the win. "When it comes down to beating a club like that, you know they're never going to quit. We just have to keep fighting to the end and trust everything is going to work out."

After building an 8-1 lead through five innings, 12th-ranked SU (22-8, 8-4 USA South) had to withstand another rally by third-ranked CNU (25-5, 9-3).

The Captains kept chipping away, scoring single runs in the seventh and eighth (both unearned) to pull to within 8-3. They scored four more in the ninth to keep fans on the edge of their seats, and Captains relief pitcher Matt Verdillo (no runs, five strikeouts in three innings pitched) kept SU off the board after the fifth.

"Verdillo baffled us and gave his team a chance to battle back," Anderson said. "You don't put up the numbers and the record that [CNU has] without them being competitors."

SU's Matt Riegler, who had come on to get the last out of the eighth, started the ninth well and retired the first two batters he faced.

Then it almost completely came apart for the Hornets. The Captains had their next seven batters reach safely against three different pitchers.

A walk to Shannon Mark began the string, and Anderson brought on Kyle Scallion. In making a rare appearance after early-season injuries, Scallion could not get an out.

Billy Steel (2-for-4) had an infield single, Connor Madden had a ground single to right for an RBI, and Luke Saunders (2-for-5) had a run-scoring single to right. Matt Shoemaker then had the third-straight run-producing at-bat, ripping a single off the mound, which then trickled into left field and allowed Madden to score and make it 8-6 SU.

Scallion got ahead of Steven Linemuth 1-2 in the count, but proceeded to throw three straight balls to load the bases.

Anderson then tried Andrew Zarobila, and that experiment lasted three pitches. Zarobila hit Steven Keener on his right ankle to force in a run and make it a one-run game.

Wearing out a path to the mound, Anderson brought on Stanek, who is 3-0 in five starts for SU. Stanik's first pitch was low and the second high for a 2-0 count. Stanik came back with two straight strikes, then Lenda fouled off a pitch. Stanik's next pitch went for a ball, leaving the count 3-2.

Stanik then busted a pitch into the zone that seemed to surprise both Lenda and the plate umpire, who made a delayed strike three signal, leaving the Hornets to charge the field in joy and Lenda to voice his displeasure as he headed back to the CNU dugout.

"When you're put in that situation, you've got to protect a little better with two strikes," said CNU coach Jon Harvell, who saw his team's nine-game win streak end. "But for us to be able to do what we did on the back end [of the game] with their top closer [Scallion] in, I'm proud with the way we came back."

Pendergraft is Stanik's roomate and he was pleased to see his teammate come through.

"Jeff's been huge," Pendergraft said. "He battled through an injury his sophomore year and come back well. I live with the kid. I know how he is. He's a bulldog and he wants the ball."

The overall play of Pendergraft provided a spark to SU the entire way. So did the starting pitching of Cory Nelson (4-3), who made few mistakes and pitched into the eighth. And SU's offense — up and down the lineup — came through, time and again, to make the Hornets a winner for the 11th time in 14 games.

CNU starter Jacob Vaughan came in unbeaten, but the right-hander could get only six outs and was knocked out in the third.

To start a 14-hit day for the Hornets, Joey Donofrio (2 for 5) led off with a solid single to right. Kurt Krout (3 for 5) followed with a bloop over second baseman Shoemaker for a hit, and Corbin Lucas singled sharply to left to plate Donofrio with the game's first run.

The Hornets had two runners in scoring position with no outs, but Vaughan got the next two hitters and was on the verge of getting out of danger allowing just one run.

That is, before Nick Beall picked an opportune time to launch his first college homer. Beall lined a shot that just cleared the fence in right-center for a three-run blast and 4-0 lead for the Hornets after one.

In the third, Pendergraft (2 for 4, two runs) led off with a seeing-eye double the opposite way to right. Nelson followed with a ground-rule double down the left-field line for an RBI to end Vaughan's time on the mound.

CNU reliever Andrew Juba wild-pitched Nelson in with two outs, and SU had a 6-1 lead.

The Hornets continued to manufacture runs in the fifth. Pendergraft again led an inning off with a hit, and stole second. One out later, Beall (two runs scored) walked and Mikey Paul (2-for-4) grounded a single through the left side to load the bases.

Tucker Brown followed with a sacrifice fly to left and nine-hole hitter Mike Minch (2 for 4) singled up the middle for an RBI and 8-1 lead.

Minch, who improved his batting average to .250, had only his second multi-hit game and first since collecting five hits on March 9 in SU's 11-3 win at Randolph-Macon College.

"They came out to play today," Anderson said. "I credit [the motivation] to our three captains — Jake Pendergraft, Kyle Scallion, and Cory Nelson. They had our team ready to play. That's the way we structure it. It's a player-run organization."

From there, SU counted on outstanding defense from Pendergraft, who roamed center for seven putouts and even gunned out Saunders at the plate to end the fourth, and the pitching of Nelson.

The senior righty allowed just two hits though six innings, including a solo blast by Keener in the second. Nelson has allowed only two home runs in over 56 innings pitched this season.

Nelson left after an error allowed CNU to score its third run of the game in the eighth. Reigler came on to get out of the inning.

SU will be the No. 2 seed when the USA South tournament begins later this week. The Hornets will face No. 7 seed North Carolina Wesleyan (2-10 in conference) Thursday at 4:30 p.m. in Burlington, N.C. in their first game.

Read BOLD quote above and Pendergraft for USA-South Player of the Year!

[narch]

Well...they're gonna play CNU -- just a question of whether it's on Day 1 (if they lose to Ferrum) or Day 2 (if they beat Ferrum). I think I have that right...let me know if I don't.

i think you're correct, and you make a good case for holding perry, but i'm betting he'll go in game 1

i'm not sure if we've put the pitcher of the year discussion to bed just yet, but i was reading through some of the posts, and i saw a stat that i wanted to point out - i believe it was pneal7 who wanted to discount perry's strikeout numbers and point out goldsmith's superior batting average against (baa) - i would caution anyone from putting too much stock in baa as it is, unlike strikeouts, a variable which depends upon team defensive skills, while strikeouts rely only upon the pitcher and the batter - i don't have access to any metrics which measure range or defensive effectiveness beyond fielding percentage, but i will point out that among the top 3 candidates for pitcher of the year, the cnu pitcher benefits from having the defense with the highest fielding % behind him

as pneal7 pointed out, lineups remain relatively constant - it make sense then, to assume that a pitcher from mu, cnu or su faced somewhat similar opposition...except that the cnu and su pitchers got the advantage of facing the mu offense and perry did not, while the cnu and su pitchers did not have to face their own offense and perry did - mu was dead last in hitting in conference games at .223 while cnu and su were #1 and #2 in the conference in hitting at .285 and .284 respectively - in a small sample size (6 games), switching out 1 game vs. a team hitting .223 with a game vs. a team hitting .285 could be all the difference needed to swing the baa statistic in favor of a pitcher from cnu or su

it makes sense that a pitcher for cnu or su would have a lower baa than perry when you consider these factors