Men’s baseball goes 0-4 to start the season

A slow start to the baseball season highlights key areas of improvement for the Marauders men baseball team

The season is underway for Marauders men’s baseball, with the maroon and grey team having played both the University of Guelph Gryphons and the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks in a two-game series. 

The team has failed to win a single game in these four games; however, the scores in these matches have mostly been close. 

In the first game against the Gryphons on Sept. 9, the Marauders only lost by one run, with a final result of 4-5. The following match saw the Marauders lose by larger margins with a score of 0-8.  

A more recent matchup against Laurier on Sept. 10 saw the Marauders lose by a single run again by a score of 1-2. The subsequent match-up against the Golden Hawks finished with another loss of 6-10.  

With these scores, it appears as though the issue lies in the Marauders defensive game, with their ability to limit runs and opposing offenses being vital in games to come. 

In terms of their focus for defensive improvements, better pitching may be the answer. For instance, in their second match-up against Guelph, the Marauders allowed 14 hits compared to only two hits allowed by the Gryphons.  

Their lack of good defensive play especially shows against teams like Guelph, who boast great players on the defensive end. This was shown in both games, as the Gryphons kept the Marauders to only ten hits for the entire series. 

On the offensive end, the Marauders seem to be in decent shape, shown by closer scores to Laurier with plenty of runs to the Marauders. Shortstop Anthony Polowick was a key contributor to this end, hitting a double and scoring in the lone run in the team’s match-up against Laurier. 

If the Marauders can clean up defensively, they will likely be more competitive in games to come. If not, their current record is likely to hold.