On a day that seemed like winter was making a final attempt at hanging on, the Streaks bats were just as cold. But, it was just enough as Galesburg moved their record to 19-3 with the victory.
No coach is ever unhappy with a win, however, there was some cause for concern as we only managed one hit (McCrery) and also committed two errors in the game. The only real offensive highlight was that we drew a total of 9 walks. It was by combination of these walks and a few wild pitches that Galesburg scratched out three runs.
Nonetheless, as bad as we were offensively, the Streaks pitchers were that good. Timmy Rossell got the start. He went 5 innings, struck out 9, and only threw 70 pitches. Tyler Farrell and Nick Milligan each threw the 6th and 7th innings respectively and struck out all 6 batters they faced. Good teams pick each other up and our pitching staff did that in a big way on Tuesday night.
I know our bats will come around. I even recognize the fact that we will commit an error every now and then (although it still bugs the heck out of me). But, an old coaching adage is applicable in this situation. It goes like this..."Attitude and effort require absolutely no talent". I had football coaches tell me this in high school and it is still relevant today. Players can choose how they show up to the ballpark on any given day and they can choose to play as hard as they possibly can for 7 innings. These choices can be made by the number one player down to number 20 and talent has nothing to do with them. Today, I was encouraged by our attitude and effort at practice by all of our guys. I thought we had a very productive workout as we head into U.T. tomorrow and Alleman on Saturday. In fact, I thought it was one of the better of the season. I am looking forward to seeing how that translates to actual competition.
Come to U.T. tomorrow and witness the Streaks' attempt at the twenty win mark. Go Streaks!
