Crusaders knock out Trojans, rough up Flying Feet of Erskine
Posted by The Skyliner on March 3rd, 2010Billy Cannada
Staff Writer
North Greenville first baseman Tyler Callicutt stands in to face an Anderson Trojans pitcher on Feb. 24 at Ashemore Field in Tigerville. The Crusaders now have a 10-2 record on the season. (Photo by Kari Weaver)
The North Greenville baseball team took down Anderson University and Erskine College this past week. The Crusaders have now won their last seven games.
“It has been a big week for us,” said head coach Travis Henson. “Anderson and Erskine are two teams that are very strong in Division II baseball, so we had a chance to find out how we can do against some good baseball teams.”
The Crusaders started off their week strong by posting an 8-4 victory over Anderson University on Feb. 24, completing their three-game series with the Trojans.
Brian Westbrook, freshman secondary education, got the start on the mound for the Crusaders, but was unable to cool off the hot bats of the Trojans as he gave up three quick homeruns in the contest. The Crusaders bounced back offensively, however, being led by Markus Duckworth, sophomore social studies education, who went 3-4 with two RBI, and Adam Taylor, freshman business administration, who was 2-5 with two RBI.
“Our offensive versatility was a big key for us,” said Henson. “We were able to score in different ways. We had some clutch hits, but we also ran the bases very effectively.”
The Crusaders then traveled to Erskine College on Feb. 25, where they swept a double header with the 25th ranked Flying Fleet by scores of 19-2 and 6-1.
On the mound in game one for North Greenville was ace Drew Provence, sophomore marketing, who pitched a complete game, with five strike outs, two walks, and allowing only two earned runs. Offensively, the Crusaders were led by David Frazier, sophomore sports management, who went 4-5 with three RBIs, Randy Stegall, senior business, who went 3-6 with two RBI, and Taylor, who went 3-4 with three RBI.
“When your team is winning and everyone is playing good, it gives you confidence,” said Frazier. “It takes pressure off of individual people so that we can play the game like we know how to.”
Game two in the double header did not provide the same amount of offense, but resulted in another win for the Crusaders. Michael Benjamin, junior business administration, got the start on the mound, as he pitched a complete game, striking out two batters and only giving up one earned run.
The 10-2 Crusaders are off to a very strong start, and coach Henson believes the team is on the road to success.
“We’re 10-2 and people are starting to ask ‘what do we have to do to get ranked’,” Henson said. “Now we have a lot of people’s attention, but the question is what are we going to do now that they are looking.”
Provence, who is now 4-0 as a starting pitcher, said that although North Greenville has had some success, there is still a long road in front of them.
“We had a huge week beating some of the top teams in the state of South Carolina,” said Provence. “But we have only completed 20 percent of our schedule and we have to be able to perform under the spotlight now.”
Tags: Spring 2010, Vol. 110 - Issue 6