by Catherine Rogers
Staff Writer
The Bryan Lion’s baseball team tackled a tough three-game series this past weekend against the RedStorm of the University of Rio Grande (Ohio) and came out with two loses and one determined win.
Head Coach Taylor Hasty said that the RedStorm is a “very well-coached team from top to bottom” with “five really good seniors in their lineup who can all hit.”
This showed Friday night as Rio Grande took the lead in the first inning and caused a devastating loss of 15-3 for the Lions.
“Friday, we failed to throw strikes, and we really didn’t finish off hitters,” commented Hasty. “We had eight total walks, seven of which scored and we kind of lost momentum as a result of that.”
Junior pitcher Bronson Holland said, “I believe we’re better than the team we played. We just made costly mistakes.”
Saturday proved to be better for the Lions with the first game a close loss and the second a solid win.
“In game one, we didn’t have a good offense approach and got away from our hitting philosophy, but in game two we did much better offensively at the plate,” said Hasty, who continued by praising the Lions’ defense that shut down the RedStorms’ running game.
The first highlight of Saturday came when senior catcher Jon Brown took an 85mph fastball to the face, a move that junior outfielder Josh King referred to as, “taking one off the cheek for the team.”
Brown continued to have “two great games on Saturday after not playing on Friday,” said Hasty. “He went 4 for 4 with a home run and two singles.”
The Lions kept the momentum growing Saturday by starting the final game with a three-run home run by freshman pitcher Josh Harris, giving the team a 4-0 lead.
Hasty said that “Zach Breazeale threw exceptionally well as a starter in game three and Josh Harris came in and finished the game well for the team.”
Sophomore outfielder Shane Clawson was also an outstanding player in the final game, hitting two home runs, including the game-winning three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Although the team came out 1-2 for the weekend, they are now 4-3 overall, and Hasty is unconcerned about the loss. His philosophy for the rest of the season: “We’re just going to take one game at a time.”
“As a team, we want our identity to be one where we are fundamentally strong and tough, and I think that winning game three out of a three game series after getting beat the first two demonstrates toughness and character.”
The Lions play at home again this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Bryan College Invitational. The first game will begin at 6 p.m. against Toccoa Falls College (Ga.).