The key for the Oswego State baseball team this season is consistency. The bats have no problem getting going as they scored 35 total runs in Tuesday’s doubleheader, but if the pitching is not consistently doing their job, things can get ugly very quickly for the Lakers.
It was a tale of two games for the Oswego State baseball team on the road at Brockport State on Sunday, April 4, winning game one 7-2 and losing game two 14-2. Junior Kieran Finnegan got the start in game one, throwing a solid four innings, striking out three, walking three and only letting one run cross the plate.
Finnegan’s outing was slightly overshadowed by junior Anthony Van Fossen. The long reliever threw the final five innings, striking out five and only gave up one run. The most impressive part was that he did not surrender a single walk on 19 batters faced, which is a very difficult thing to do in the SUNYAC, let alone in baseball.
The offense scored seven runs in the win against the Golden Eagles, but the offense is not an issue for Oswego State. Pitching in game one was commanding, but it never transferred from game one to game two.
Brockport State scored 14 runs in the latter half of the doubleheader, dominating Laker pitching and getting the victory. Senior Ronald Loomis started for Oswego State, giving up six runs on six hits in just two innings pitched. Loomis was pulled in the third inning and replaced by senior Connor Van Dreason, followed by senior Jared Kwicinski and freshman Jacob Sanders who all combined for eight earned runs allowed.
The Lakers had an off-game. It happens to every team and not just in baseball, but in every sport. Inconsistent pitching, especially in a shortened season, will not bode well for them.
The SUNY New Paltz doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon proved that good pitching is the key to winning baseball games for Oswego State, but if inconsistent, it could find itself in the loss column. The final score of game one was 24-12. Twenty-four is the most runs scored in a single game for the Lakers since they scored 31 against St. John Fisher College on May 1, 2018.
Despite the strong hitting performance in game one, the Lakers let up 12 runs. That might fly against SUNY New Paltz, but it will not cut it against SUNYAC powerhouses like SUNY Cortland or Brockport State in the SUNYAC tournament.
A team that has brought back some seniors as graduate students due to COVID-19, will help develop strong, young arms for the Lakers. Mike Di Salvo, who has an ERA below 3.00 for his collegiate career, and Ben Wilcox who has a career ERA of 2.35, are both back on the roster for the 2021 season.
In game two, Laker pitching gave up just three runs in a dominant performance from freshman Jai Sharma in the 11-3 win. The St. James native threw six innings, giving up three runs and striking out eight batters in the process. Sharma had total control over the Hawks in his first-ever outing as a Laker.
Finnegan has been electric since jumping on the scene in the spring of 2019, when he posted a 3.47 ERA, striking out 23 batters in 36.1 innings. With Finnegan and Van Fossen leading the charge, as well as Sharma’s young arm, the Lakers are in a good position to make their mark in the SUNYAC provided they remain consistent.
Graphic by Michael Gross & Brandon Ladd | The Oswegonian
