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| Photo by BLADEN FINCH Senior Dan Rosendale slides into home plate during a double header with Lynchburg College. Overall, VWC outhit Lynchburg 19-8 in the two games, including a double and two singles each from Rosendale. |
After opening the season by losing three out their first five games, the baseball team has exploded to win 10 straight. Riding strong pitching the Marlins have also started swinging the bats well, and have outscored their opponents 119-37 in their 15 victories. “Good hitting keeps the pitchers happy which results in more good pitching,” said freshman Dan Sellers. Good pitching hasn’t been a problem. Against Cortland State University, sophomore Jason Jarrett was only pitches away from breaking the school record for strikeouts in a game when the game was called in the seventh inning due to inclimate weather. The rest of the pitching staff has also played well, holding their opponents to no more then five runs throughout the season. Against Hampden-Sydney, Adam Hamilton pitched a complete game, giving up only one run and struck out seven.
In the three of their four losses the Marlins had given up only three runs in each game. “You should never lose a game when the other team scores only three runs,” said senior Danny Rosendale. “That means your offense sucks.” Recently the offense has not “sucked” as they have totaled 76 runs in their past ten games. Sparked by senior captains T.J. Adams and Brandon Elliott along with sophomore Mike Supa and junior Paul Johnson the Marlins have won 10 straight and are undefeated in ODAC competition.
“We are happy with how we are playing right now,” said junior Brian Burkhart. “We just need to keep it up.” With a lineup comprised of five upper classman, the Marlins are a mixture of experience and youth. According to Burkhart that is a good thing. “We have enough experience to pull us through big games and good underclassman that are learning from experience,” he said. The Marlins stayed busy over spring break, as they played nine games in as many days and went undefeated during that stretch. “That showed how much heart this team has,” said Adams. “It’s tough to play that many games in that short amount of time. That week made our season.”
The Marlins are now at the halfway point of the season, and are pleased with their recent performances. But with a tough schedule ahead the team intends on playing well and remaining focused on only one game at a time. Junior shortstop Paul Johnson was named baseball’s ODAC Athlete of the Week for his performances during the week of March 17-22. The accolade marks the first time in two years that a Wesleyan baseball player has received the honor. During the week Johnson hit .480 including three doubles, two triples and a homerun. He also drove in nine RBI’s and scored seven times in victories over Emory and Henry, Tufts College, Hampden-Sydney, Kutztown and N.C. Wesleyan.
Johnson leads a potent attack that includes four players hitting over .350. Mike Supa leads the barrage with a .406 batting average, followed by Johnson (.389), T.J. Adams (.365) and Brandon Elliott (.352). On Tues., Mar. 25 the Marlins took on ODAC rival Hampden-Sydney. The day proved productive as every starter notched at least one hit in the 9-1 victory and Adam Hamilton was the only pitcher used as he through a complete game. The victory was the tenth straight for the Marlins and marked the tenth in a row against the Tigers. The Marlins fell behind early as the Tigers went up 1-0 in the second inning, but a flurry of hits in the fourth scored four runs. The Marlins then rattled off five unanswered runs to overpower the Tigers.
Leading the victors was Supa, who enjoyed a 4-for-4 day, while Johnson, extended his own hitting streak to 10 straight games with a 3-for-5 showing, including a double. The Marlins take on Chowan next as they look to avenge their season-opening loss when the Braves beat the Marlins a 3-2 in the 11th inning. The game is scheduled for today at 2:30 p.m. at Chowan.
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| Photo by JOSH HILL Freshman midfielder Will Mumford attempts to gain possession of a face-off ball during the Salisbury University game on Foster Field. |
The men’s lacrosse team has a current record of 6-1 overall and 1-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The team’s one loss was to Salisbury University, who was ranked no.2 in the country at contest time. On Mar. 1, the Marlins hosted Greensboro College and pulled out a 15-8 non-conference victory. Freshman attackman, Dan Hofmeister opened the scoring in the contest teaming up with senior Jay Smith for a goal with 10:47 remaining in the first quarter. Greensboro came back strong, but their fight wasn’t enough to hold back the Marlins.
Late in the third quarter, senior captain Jay Smith fired a pass to Hofmeister, who completed the play with a shot and score to ignite the momentum for the remainder of the game. Smith finished with six assists. In addition to Hofmeister’s five goals, senior Tony Palazzo added three goals, while Smith and senior Jason Story each had two. Betthauser recorded 20 saves, the second highest total of his career. Greensboro attacked the goal aggressively from start to finish recording 51 shots, but they watched as Betthauser turned them down repeatedly.
“Dustin has been playing very well for us,” said Head Coach JP Stewart. Steady defensive play helped to secure a Marlin victory over Marymount University on Mar. 8. The Marlins held Marymount scoreless for nearly 25 minutes between the second and third quarters. While the defense was working hard for the win, the offense scored six unanswered goals, including two each by Smith and junior Ryan Bush. Marymount jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the non-conference match, but watched as the Marlins came storming back to dominate the contest.
Hofmeister led the Marlins with three goals, while Palazzo, Smith and Bush added two each. Betthauser recorded 11 saves. The box score was 9-5. Hofmeister set a frosh record on March 15 when the Marlins hosted the Tigers of Wittenberg University. “Hofmeister is just in the right place at the right time,” said Assistant Coach Bill Lingo. “His shot is very accurate.” Hofmeister scored a career-high 10 points off a career-high eight goals and two assists, helping the Marlins to a 22-7 non- conference win victory at Foster Field.
Hofmeister took over the start of the second quarter, scoring two consecutive goals in 30 seconds. His eight goal total was the highest ever for a first-year player in Marlin history, and the third highest output overall. Betthauser played in front of the cage through three quarters, and had 12 saves. First-year goalie Matt Shiles stepped in for the remainder of the game and recorded five saves. The Marlins traveled to play Wesley College on March 19. For the last three seasons the Wolverines have been a pain in the side of the Marlin’s lax team, posting victories all three years.
The tables turned as Smith and Conner MacBeth scored three goals each to lead the Marlins to a 14-5 non-conference victory on the Wolverine’s turf. Seven different Marlins scored at least one goal each. Palazzo and junior Ryan Naftzinger recorded two each. Betthauser had a total of 15 saves for the Marlins. The Marlins headed to Guilford College on Mar. 22, and defeated them 15-12. Story and Hofmeister emerged with crucial goals that gave the Marlins a 12-8 lead with 2:47 remaining in the third quarter.
Hofmeister led the scoring with five goals, while Cameron McKay finished with three. Palazzo, Smith and Story recorded two each. The Marlins set a school record with 59 shots and 49 ground balls in the Guilford game. Palazzo set a new record with 20 ground balls in a game, surpassing the record of 14 ground balls by Chris Anderson in 1991. “The kids are playing really hard,” said Stewart. The Marlins next game is at St. Mary’s College of Maryland on Mar. 29 at 3 p.m.
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