Baseball advances in Centennial Conference

Before their game against Penn College on March 20th the Muhlenberg Mules baseball team had a record of 4-7.

Penn College’s offense had averaged nearly seven runs per game coming into the game against Muhlenberg. However, Muhlenberg had a great opportunity to light up the scoreboard as Penn had given up double-digit runs three times this season, including giving up nineteen in their season opener. Through the first four innings, the Mules did not cross the plate and found themselves trailing 3-0.

However, in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, the Mules were able to score five runs and take a 5-3 lead. Penn came back to tie the game in the top of the eighth and the Mules found themselves with a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth as catcher Matt Riebesell ‘18 stepped up to the plate with runners at the corners. Reibesell hit a line drive single to center field to drive in outfielder Brenden Weiss ‘20 for the winning run, causing the Mules to empty out the dugout elated.

Since the win against Penn College, the Mules have won six of their last eight games and have outscored opponents 27-19. Infielder Robbie Hopes ‘17 has noticed significant growth in many areas over the course of the season, especially during the recent stretch of games. “Overall, I’ve seen a growth in the overall confidence of the team. Our hitters have been on fire lately; we’ve been getting great pitching performances every game, and our fielders are making all the plays. When the team continually comes out and plays well game after game, it’s easy to build confidence and carry it from game to game.”

During the stretch the Mules have had solid outings on the mound from Ryan Kaverick ‘20, Sam Kasten ‘18, and Troy Elias ‘17. Closer Christopher Bunero ‘17 has been lights out all season and has recorded four saves, while posting a robust 0.75 ERA. The Mules have also hit the long ball in recent games, including their first home run of the season by Billy Brittingham ‘20 and a two homer performance by John Icaza ‘17 against Penn State Abington.

On Sunday, April 2, the Mules opened up Centennial Conference play with a doubleheader against Gettysburg with a lot of momentum. The Mules continued their offensive improvement by scoring two in the first, highlighted by an RBI double by Hopes. Kasten had another fantastic outing, striking out nine Bullets and giving up only two runs in seven innings. However, the bats were silent the rest of the game as Gettysburg pitcher Brad DeMartino pitched an excellent complete game leading the Bullets to a 3-2 victory in game one of the doubleheader, with the winning run coming in the top of the ninth inning.

After a disappointing loss in game, the Mules had to push the restart button and quickly focus on winning game two. Hopes noted that, “The message in the dugout was to clear our minds of that first game. We knew that one was over and there was nothing we could do to change the outcome, but we knew we had an opportunity to go back out there and even the series in Game 2. Game 1 was close and we had the lead for most of it, so we knew we could compete against a good team like Gettysburg.”

The bats caught fire once again in game two as the Mules plated the first five runs of the game in the first four innings.

Key plays included a solo home run by Hopes and a three-run homer by Stephen Koester ‘19, who did not get the start in game one. The Bullets were not fazed by the offensive outburst by the Mules as they narrowed the deficit to 5-4. The Mules’ Thomas Yohe ‘17 added an extra run with an RBI single in the eighth, but once again Gettysburg made the game interesting in the top of the ninth as they narrowed the deficit to one run again after a sacrifice fly.

However, Bunero was able to close out the game and pick up his fourth save in the Mules’ first Centennial Conference victory.

After just missing the Centennial Conference playoffs last year, the Mules need to play with maximum effort and resilience every game, just like they did in game two against Gettysburg on Sunday. Hopes exclaimed that “if we want to be top contenders in Centennial Conference play, we need to give everything we have in terms of effort whenever we’re on the field, just like we did yesterday against Gettysburg. Even though we lost Game 1, the effort was there for all nine innings. We were able to carry that energy and focus to Game 2 and come away with a win. Game 2 gave us a ton of confidence going into this week and we hope it shows in our play for the rest of the season.”

The Mules will continue Centennial Conference play against Dickinson and Johns Hopkins this coming week and are seeking to continue their winning way.

Photo courtesy of Muhlenberg Athletics