The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
sportsed@clackamas. edu
BASEBALL:
Continued from Page 1
The batting for the Cougars sprung to life in the
bottom qf the eighth. Four quick runs renewed the
chatter from the Clackamas dugout as the home team
pulled to within seven runs. The comeback, however,
fizzled far short of satisfactory, and the inning ended
with the Saints still holding on to a commanding 12-5
lead.
In the ninth and final inning, Mt. Hood would tack
on one more run and hold Clackamas scoreless to wrap
up a trouncing of the Cougars. The sun and the happy
attitude had long since faded. Robinson and his play
ers huddled up to regroup before the break between
games, and then scattered, looking for answers.
“They’re the best team in our league right now, and
they’re the team that’s way ahead of everybody else,
and they showed it right there that they should be,”
said Robinson. “We’ve got a lot of real good kids that
are competing, but they’re young they’re inexperi
enced and they didn’t handle good pitching very well,
which is typical for a lot of young lads.”
“I think everyone came out flat,” said second base
man Austin Keifer, a freshman from Lake City, Idaho.
“We thought we were just going to roll through it, and
it showed. They came out to play and we didn’t (In
the second game,) we’re going to have to make some
changes. We’re going to see what some new kids can
do; bring in some new fire.”
The most important change, however, would be to
change the level of concentration and minimize costly
errors.
“I’ve thrown worse; they just took advantage of
the mistakes I made,” said starting sophomore pitcher
Marshall Crawford. “I think we just need to refocus
and try to forget about that last game. We’re just as
good as them, they just took advantage.”
Despite the positive attitude of the team and the
willingness to work hard and compete, the Cougars
were again smoked, this time to the tune of 13-2,
accented by a six run second inning for the Saints. At
the end of the day, Mt. Hood had scored 26 runs on 31
base hits and had forced seven errors to only one of
their own. The only highlight in the second game was
a two-run homer by sophomore Nick Onley, and the
Cougars left their home field with their tails between
their legs.
4
John Howard CiflctimasB
Second baseman Austin Keifer reaches to tag a Mt. Hood player diving during the first game of last Tuesd y
double-header. The Cougars lost both games by a combined score of 26-7.
Game 1 - Mt Hood 13
Clackamas 5
Runs
13
Inning
MHCC
CCC
Game 2 - Mt Hood 13
Hits
19
7
Clackamas 2
Runs
13
2
Inning
MHCC
CCC
Hits
12
9
Errors
0____
4
We thought we
were just going
to roll through
it, and it showed.
They came out to
\play and we didn’t.
Austin Keifer
Cougar Second Baseman
Katie Aamatti Clackamas Print
Clackamas shortstop Tyler Arnold reaches for a ball while Mt, Hood’s Trevor
Cass slides in to second base.
Katie Aamatti Clackamt
Cougar catcher Cole Rise surveys the infield.
Clackamas committed seven errors in two games
Mariners preseason success hasn’t tranferred into regular season
wl
4 ¿Take me out to the ball game. Take me out
with the crowd ... For it’s one, two,
three strikes you’re out, at the old ball
game.” -Jack Norworth
As many of you guys, know it’s
baseball season time. Time to play
ball! Personally I’m not a Seattle
Mariners fan. I’m an Oakland fan,
but the Mariners are the “local”
team so let’s have a go about the
season ahead.
The Mariners finished with a
horrible 61-101 record last year,
By Robbert Morrison last in the American League West
Division. They were one of only
Sports Editor
two teams to lose 100 games, so
they had a lot to improve on. Some
of the high points last year were the continued hitting of right fielder
Ichiro Suzuki, the acquisition of Justin Smoak at ffrst base and the con
tinued improvement of Felix Hernandez. The team expected infielder Chone
Figgins to improve his play, but he fell short of that expectation.
During the off-season the team looked to improve by adding some players.
Infielder Brendan Ryan, infielder Adam Kennedy, catcher Miguel Olivo, and designated
hitter Jack Cust were some of their acquisitions. The Mariners knew Kennedy and Cust very
and Athletics
Athletics last year. Olivo and Oust
well as they both played for the Oakland
ile Kennedy and Ryan were signed for de
de
signed to be starters for the team while
because of a shortstop and second base position full of injuries.
The team went into this year’s Spring Training with big hopes 11
few position battles. The Mariners would go on to finish spring wit
nice 16-13 record, fifth best in the American League. Spring train
is typically thought of as more of non-competitive games, uni»
are those players that are playing for a job.
The team’s starting center outfielder Franklin Gutierrez mis
multiple games during spring training with a stomach issue and
team decided to place him on the disabled list to start the seas
With the loss of Gutierrez both Ryan Langerhans and Vlid
Saunders took over the center field position. The team alsoI<
closer David Aardsma to the DL for the start of die season. ■
During spring training, a few rookies showed that thaw
what it takes to be in the majors. Luis Rodríguez made the team
backup third base and shortstop. Michael Pineda clinched a spot
the starting rotation for the Mariners with a good spring.
The team has started the year with a cold offensive that has resul
in a 4-11 record, to start 2011. The team has struggled to score ruisav
when the pitching staff does great If the Mariners can get their o ffensagon
they could very well be a force. They have a lot to improve on to make playa
but it is still early in the season.