Sunday, March 13, the Elizabethtown College baseball team faced off against Salisbury University in a doubleheader in Salisbury, Md. Salisbury tamed Etown by winning both games 6-4 and 15-2.
The Blue Jays were hit hard with two obstacles: the weather and Salisbury. Throughout the week, the weather had been fairly warm and calm. However, as Etown hit the road, the temperature in Salisbury was anything but inviting.
Coming into the doubleheader, the Blue Jays looked to knock the Sea Gulls off the national rankings by beating them twice. Junior outfielder and pitcher Ben Watson was extremely excited to take on the Sea Gulls and prove that the Blue Jays are a force to be reckoned with.
“We have nothing to lose,” Watson said. “They have everything to lose, they think they are on top right now, but we know we can hang with anyone in the country.”
Similarly with the abrupt weather change the Blue Jays faced, the Sea Gulls came with their own strategical changes. Even with high confidence, the Blue Jays were not able to handle the offensive firepower of the Sea Gulls. Salisbury junior outfielder Kavi Caster led his team by going 2-5 with a double and two runs scored.
“I just wanted to start off early and give our team a lead early because that is what we have been struggling [with], getting on the board,” Caster said.
The Sea Gulls did not stop there. They had a total of six runs scored. The Blue Jays showed that they had some fight in them by starting a sudden rally in the eighth inning. Watson, junior Chris McGill and senior Tyler McGonigle each finished with a run scored. However, it was not enough to win the game.
The Sea Gulls’ defense was overshadowed by their offensive prowess. The Seagulls defense finished with a combined 12 strikeouts to hold the Blue Jays off in the first game.
Salisbury did not look back in the second game, either. The Sea Gulls dominated the Blue Jays both offensively and defensively, allowing only two runs for the Blue Jays. The Seagulls were explosive on offense too. They tallied 12 runs in the first six innings of the game. They cruised past the Blue Jays in the second game, improving to a 10-5 record.
The Blue Jays (4-8, 0-0 LC) will look to bounce back from the two disappointing losses on Sunday. They will go on the road again to face the Spartans of York College (4-4, 0-0 MAC) who are on a three-game winning streak on Wednesday, March 16. The opening pitch is set for 3:30 p.m. The livestream is available for those who are not able to attend, https://ycpspartans.com/watch/?Live=100&type=Live.
