The KCAC season is now over, and regrettably, we didn't come out on top. After winning eight straight games in conference, the Swedes finished just as they began the KCAC season, 2-4, putting us in third place at 12-8, 22-20 overall. We have to give champion Ottawa University credit, though. They came out and won their final ten games to win the championship, including the backbreaker Sunday on our own field. There were some encouraging things that did happen since I last wrote, and I'll try to sum it up for you.
Bethany roared into Hillsboro on Wednesday, April 22 to face the Tabor College Bluejays in a very important doubleheader for both sides. Clay Witt got the nod in the first game, mesmorizing Bluejay hitters, limiting them to three runs on nine hits in a complete game effort. Three runs usually isn't an outstanding effort, but in this case it was because of his allowing 2 home runs to Tabor hitters in a ballpark with a VERY short right field porch, which would have been routine flies on most other fields. The offense didn't disappoint, either, pounding out seven runs on a season high (to that point) thirteen hits. Mike Jackson, Sean Spoonts, and Pat Patterson led the attack with two RBI's each. Spoonts and Darren Kaustinen each went 2-4, while Patterson and Chris Tusant each went 2-3 on the day. Game two started out much the same, with the Swedes jumping out to a quick 6-2 lead. Scoring began in the first, with Bobby Richardson drawing a one out walk, Spoonts flying out to right, and then Jason Schmeiser tripled to deep center, driving home Richardson and scoring himself on a throwing error by the shortstop. Nate Sungy then followed with a mammoth home run to center field, putting BC up by three. They then followed with one in the second and two more in the third. Tabor put up their own rally, closing the gap in the fourth to 6-5, due largely in part to a three run homer with one out in the inning by Tim Carroll. The Swedes added one in the sixth on back to back doubles by Darren Kaustinen and Brad Schrader. Jeremy Cantrell, effective, but not overpowering on the day, came back out to start the seventh, but ran into trouble. He was replaced by Clint Strassburg, who sealed the game by recording the final three outs, earning his first collegiate save.
Next up was the dreaded rival Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes. As I was not able to attend that game, I can't really sum it up. For a good detailed description, see the Salina Journal article from April 26. A couple of notes from the game, the Swedes recorded 14 hits in game 1, surpassing the previous season high, set at Tabor three days earlier. BC won 14-7 and 9-1.
After a week of rain, things couldn't get going again until yesterday, when Bethany travelled to face second place (by percentage points) Sterling College. After racing to a 3-0 second inning lead, everything started to fall apart in game one. Sterling came up with four runs on four hits, aided by two crucial Swede errors in the bottom of the third inning. The runs came on back to back to back singles by the top three in the SC order, followed by a double error on Chris Tusant when he muffed a ground ball and then threw the ball away trying to rush his throw to first. A ground ball by pitcher Luis Salazar tied the game at three, and a double to the gap in left-center drove home yet another run. Sterling scored two more in the fifth. Bethany rallied in the seventh, but Mark Chastain came in to slam the door on a 7-4 Sterling win. Offensive highlights for the Swedes were Mike Jackson with two hits (one of them a beautiful drag bunt in the three run second), Bobby Richardson with two RBI's, and Nate Sungy and Pat Patterson, each with a double. Game two saw Sterling grab a three run lead themselves, and the Bethany sails seemed to have all the air let out of them. Jeremy Cantrell held the Warriors scoreless after the second inning, keeping the game close. He was aided in the third by Chris Tusant's diving grab deep in the hole at shortstop. He got up and threw out the runner at first easily, completing a sensational play. Nothing seemed to wake the Swede bats up though, and confidence was very low, but Cantrell hung in there, constantly urging his teammates on to score runs. His was the only life on an otherwise dead Bethany bench. In the top of the seventh, down 3-1, he brought the team back without ever stepping up to the plate, using a fungo bat like a music conductor would, waving it around, inspiring loud noise to come from the rest of the team, raising the intensity level and putting the pressure on the Warriors. The offense voiced a resounding response to the noise by putting three runs on the board. Jackson and Richardson each walked with one out to start the surge. They each scored on Sean Spoonts' grounder to third which was thrown down the right field line by the defender. He hesitated slightly rounding second, and was thrown out at third on a very close play. Jason Schmeiser then singled to center to start the process all over again. He then stole second to put himself in scoring position. Sterling made another throwing error, this time by the shortstop on a play that would have ended the inning, scoring Schmeiser and giving the Swedes the lead. Sungy stole third and David Bard walked, but Darren Kaustinen struck out to end the inning. Cantrell, who had thrown a high number of pitches tried to start the seventh, but after getting a fly out to left, allowed back to back singles. Clint Strassburg was summoned to finish SC off, and he did just that inducing two lazy fly balls to end one of the most exciting and important comebacks in Swede baseball history. Games like that are the exact reason coaches should invest in buying a case or two of Rolaids before the start of the season.
On Sunday, Ottawa came rolling into town. Expectations were high, as both teams were tied for first place at 11-5. Something went horribly wrong, and momentum quickly went the Braves' way. Tied at 1 in the fourth, their right fielder led off with a solo homer to left off of starter Clint Strassburg (3-4). OU added another run to make it 3-1, and their pitcher allowed only three more baserunners the rest of the game, one of whom scored, making the final score 4-2. Strassburg pitched extremely well, but was outdueled. Mike Jackson went 2-3 and Sean Spoonts went 3-3 with a double in the game. Game two started to get out of hand in the fourth inning as well, as the Braves scored two runs in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings en route to a 7-1 OU win. Every Ottawa starter except for one had at least one hit in the game off of pitchers Daniel Regan (3-3) and Kris Bernal. Spoonts continued his torrid hitting, going 3-3 again. Nate Sungy and Darren Kaustinen each went 2-3. Bethany was still mathematically alive, but emotionally it was all over. You could just see every ounce of energy they had was drained the day before in the comeback against Sterling, ending hopes of the first KCAC championship since 1989 coming to Lindsborg.
Yesterday's game was one played for pride against Friends University. The game had to be moved to Kansas Newman College due to scheduling conflicts on FU's usual field (owned by the city of Wichita). Game one featured Clay Witt, who was pitching his final game for the Swedes in his storied four year career. The Falcons spoiled Clay's hopes of one last victory, touching him up for ten earned runs in six innings, as the Swedes went down 11-3. The offense showed very little life, mustering only six hits against starter Dave Parker. Mike Jackson went 2-4 and Jason Schmeiser went 2-3 in the game. The three runs came when the Swedes aggressively capitalized on two Falcon errors in the second and one in the fifth. Game two, the last of the season, was definitely a memorable one. Two batters into the bottom of the first, starter Jeremy Cantrell and catcher Brad Schrader caught a Friends batter looking down and stealing pitching signals, trying to see what pitch was coming. This resulted in Cantrell trying to come inside to let him know that stealing signs is not appropriate (an unwritten baseball rule for a pitcher to follow in order to protect his territory). The ball sailed behind the hitter and Jeremy was summarily thrown out of the game. Normally this would have only resulted in a warning, but a near bench clearing brawl occured in game one and the umpires decided to act quickly (and in this writer's opinion, way too hastily, considering the situation) and give Cantrell his shortest career outing, zero innings pitched, 1 run against him. Ed Loeb came in and pitched well (3 runs in 3 innings), even though bloop hits were falling in all over the place, allowing Friends to mount a 5-1 lead by the fourth inning. In the fifth, Bethany delivered yet another patented two out rally. Sean Spoonts doubled to the wall in right center, just missing a homer. Jason Schmeiser and Nate Sungy then walked, bringing up pinch-hitter Bobby Richardson. He came through, lining a 1-1 pitch into shallow center field, which got by the diving defender for a three run double, putting the game within reach at 5-4. Daniel Regan relieved Clint Strassburg in the bottom of the inning with one out and runners at first and second. Changing speeds effectively, he struck out the two batters he faced to end the inning. Then the most important event of the game happened. The shoddy umpiring crew called Mike Jackson out at second base on what appeared to be a double. When asked by the BC coaches why Jackson was out, the umpire claimed he had a bad foot that prevented him from getting in position to make the call. Swede coaches and players started getting ejected all over the place from there on after their response to the umpire's claim. First base coach Jake Hunter made his exit first, then Jeremy Thomas (who used an unrepeatable word while trying to lead Hunter off the field), and finally Head Coach Mike Waldie. While it appeared that this series of events had finished off the Swede hopes of victory, it instead rallied and inspired the players. In the seventh, aggressiveness on the basepaths paid off. Sean Spoonts laced a one out single to center, and stole second. He then went to third when the throw got by the infield. Jason Schmeiser then walked and got hung up in a run-down between first and second to allow Spoonts to score. Tied 5-5, 2 out. Nate Sungy then walked, stole second, advanced to third on another throwing error by the catcher, and scored on a bad throw by the centerfielder. 6-5 Swedes. The only problem was that it was almost dark and the field didn't have lights, so the umpires tried to call the game, which would have reverted everything back to the last inning, giving Friends a 5-4 win. Coach Dan Grudt successfully argued that Friends chose the field and starting time, and as such should live with the consequences of that move. The inning continued. With one out and runners on first and second, Regan induced a grounder to Chris Tusant at second, who flipped to Jason Schmeiser at the base. The baserunner got a little greedy and rounded third towards the plate. Schmeiser turned and fired a rocket to Brad Schrader at the plate, who easily tagged out the runner, closing out a 6-5 victory. In the game, Mike Jackson went 3-4, Sean Spoonts went 2-4 with a double, and Daniel Regan pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for the win in a great overall team effort.
It's too bad that the season didn't end like we wanted it to... with a championship. However, I must say that it was an unbelieveable year, and one filled with excitement and wonderful memories. We look to the future, with emerging stars like Clint Strassburg, Daniel Regan, and Nate Sungy, as well as many others. We must also say goodbye to guys who exemplify what Bethany College Baseball is all about, hard nosed players David Bard, Mike Jackson, Jason Schmeiser, Sean Spoonts, and Clay Witt. The future is bright, and next year is only a few months away. With a lot of hard work and dedication, the next group of Bethany Swedes to take the field should be as good as ever, and make their own unique imprint on the program, just as this group most definitely did. I'm proud to be associated with such a fine organization, and hope to have just as much fun next year. Talk to you fans again in February or early March. Don't forget to keep checking out the website throughout the fall, as I'll try to get anything I can up and going, such as new player information, fall schedule, a tentative spring schedule, and maybe some other features. Until then...
ROCKAR STOCKAR! GO SWEDES!
Return
To Main Baseball Page