Baseball splits at CVCC

Hickory, NC- SMC (6-3) traveled to Catawba Valley Community College on Saturday afternoon February 14. The two teams squared up in a double header for the first time this season. The weather was at a freezing chill which can often have an effect on the game but never an excuse considering both teams play with the same conditions. The two starting pitchers for SMC came out strong both having good outings. The offense for the Pioneers also stepped it up a bit in the first game; although game two didn't reflect the same path.

Game One:

The bats for the Pioneers were slow to start but starter Blake Smith (Ninety Six) (No decision) (7K, 8H, 1BB, 5 IP) was keeping the score at a minimum. Smith gave the team a chance to win by throwing strikes and not only throwing strikes but hitting his spots (locating the ball). In the top of the third inning the Pioneers made a stand and put a two spot on the board to pull within three of the lead. CVCC was leading 4-2 in the top of the fourth, until Dom Jackson (S Gwinnett, GA) laid down a perfect bunt hit touching the third base line and set up a run to pull SMC within one. In the top of the seventh, the big bats came out and the Pioneers got the spark they needed for a big inning. Jared McKay (Chamblee, GA) drove a double over the second baseman's head scoring Kevon Perkins (NBrunswick, NC) for the tying run. Jackson drove in the go ahead run with a single up the middle scoring McKay. Kam Dixon (Darlington) came in and shut the door for the save. A huge play for the Pioneers came in the bottom of the last inning when Seth Wall (Georgetown) threw out a CVCC pinch runner while attempting to steal second base. That runner would have been the tying run, but Wall put a halt to their comeback. WP: Tone Jacobs (John Glenn MI) (RHP) (1-0) (1K, 1BB, 0R, 1IP). Top Hitters: Jackson (2-4, RBI, R) Perkins (1-2, HBP, 2R) McKay (2-2, Sac, 2B, RBI, R) FINAL: SMC 5, CVCC 4

Game Two:

Dom Jackson roped a leadoff double to the wall. Two backside ground outs allowed Jackson to score giving SMC a 1-0 lead. Starting pitcher Henry Weiler (Leawood, KS; UofArkansas) (RHP) (No decision) was a solid (0H, 4K, 2BB, 5IP) pitching out of continuous jams. Even with back to back walks in the fourth, Weiler was able to strand the runners and keep the game tied 1-1 through 5 innings. This appearance was much better than his debut, showing he can be a bulldog on the mound and have a quality start. Weiler's competition however, wasn't letting up. The starting pitcher for CVCC threw a CG (4K, 3BB, 2H, R, 7IP) managing to force ten ground outs. The job wasn't finished for SMC and I'll just say it didn't get done. The Pioneers were struggling offensively, and their bats got hot at the right time carving out a four run inning in the top of the sixth to close the deal. SMC managed to get one more across in the next half inning. Top Hitters: Jackson (1-3, 2B, R) Berne (1-3, 2B, R) FINAL: CVCC 5, SMC 2

The bull pen wasn't as strong as usual which is something that will simply progress as our pitchers see more appearances. It's all a learning process. As we know already, this game is filled with failure, so a bad outing by a reliever here and there is expected. The difference in an average and an above average player is if they make the same mistakes again and again. Seeing young pitchers perform on a high collegiate level, make mistakes, learn from them, and respond with a better outing is all you want to see. Yes, the offense for SMC wasn't as hot as they have been in recent games, but as you will notice, the Pioneers went from ten plus pop ups forcing 0 errors two weeks ago, to ten ground outs causing 3 errors two weeks later. Going back to what Coach Wallace said about staying on top of the ball, when you have an ace on the mound throwing his best stuff, ground balls after ground balls is much more productive than routine pop ups. The Pioneers are headed in the right direction!

SMC baseball will travel to Wadley, AL this weekend for a Friday, Saturday, Sunday matchup against Dyersburg State Community College (Fri), John A. Logan College (Sat), and Southern Union State Community College (Sun). All games will be played at Southern Union State Community College. Friday and Saturday's games start at 4:00pm. Sunday's game starts at 1:00pm. SMC will be back home Sunday March 1 hosting Catawba Valley Community College.

Article By: Alex Rogers

I am a freshman student at SMC. Graduated from Saluda High School where I played baseball. I love sports and I have a passion for stats and watching athletes on a high level. I 

love to write and plan to be a sports analyst/writer for my career. While I am in school, I am doing everything I can to gain experience and learn from others. I plan to do an article for every game of the 2015 baseball season. Please stay tuned with our social media pages Twitter: @gosmcbaseball, Instagram: @SMCpioneerBaseball Facebook: SMC Baseball and Pioneer Athletics at Spartanburg Methodist College, Website: www.gosmcpioneers.com for links to more articles. If you have any ideas or specific stories that you would like me to do a write up on, please email me at alexprogers6@yahoo.com or text/call at (864)-993-1493. I am willing to work with anyone, and love being helped/critiqued. Thank you again for viewing. GO PIONEERS!