If Brett Lechien could describe his junior baseball season in one word he would choose “unfortunate.”
“We just haven’t found our identity yet,” Lechien said. “Things haven’t really been going our way and we’re having a difficult time finding ways to win.”
The Baker University baseball team was swept by Heart of America Athletic Conference rival Benedictine College after losing 2-0 and 3-2 Thursday, and then 5-0 and 6-5 Monday.
On Thursday, the Wildcats traveled to Avila University to take on Benedictine. Despite coming home with two losses, junior Jimmy Gricol was pleased with the way his fellow teammates, junior Thomas Hawkins and sophomore Ryan Lasneske, performed on the mound that day.
“I thought (Hawkins and Lasneske) came out ready to compete,” Gricol said. “Their ability to throw strikes and attack hitters went right along with our game plan.”
In game one, Hawkins pitched all seven innings, giving up only two runs in the top of the first and three hits on the entire game. He also struck out seven Ravens along the way. Lasneske was able to strike out four more in the second game and only gave up two runs in the third inning and one in the fifth.
Game two provided another highlight for Baker as junior Joshua Zach smacked one out of the park for a solo home run in the second inning. It seemed as if the Wildcats couldn’t get anything rolling offensively after that, though – a familiar feeling for the team this season.
“We’re struggling to get into a rhythm and we can’t really blame it on the weather, but I think that’s one thing that has impacted our focus lately,” Lechien said. “It’s hard for us to stay focused when we go from having our hopes up about game day just to find out (the game) has been canceled. And practicing on the hardwood floor in the gym doesn’t help us much either.”
Because of wet field conditions, Baker had to reschedule the second doubleheader from Saturday to Tuesday. The Ravens made the trip to Baldwin City, but the ‘Cats made sure they didn’t leave without putting up a fight.
After dropping the third game of the series, Baker jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning of the final game.
The Wildcats extended their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth, but the tables turned in the sixth inning when Benedictine cut the deficit to 5-4.
Another run came in for the Ravens in the top of the seventh and Benedictine came out on top with its sixth and final run in the top of the ninth. Gricol hopes the close game will be an eye-opener for his teammates.
“I’d like to see our team come out with more heart in the games to come,” Gricol said. “We need to compete day-in and day-out.”
Baker is now 2-22 on the season and 1-9 in the HAAC. With the sweep, Benedictine improved to 12-11 overall and 8-2 in conference play.
The Wildcats will play at home again Saturday as they take on Culver-Stockton College at Sauder Field. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
