Sunday’s second game of the day against Niagara ended up being the toughest one of the weekend. Everyone was tired. Playing two in one day wears on you, especially early in the season. But the second game was under the lights, and that always brings a different type of energy and mood. The crowd was still strong even for a late game, which made it feel bigger.
Before the game, Coach Finwood (Finny) told us, “The tougher team will take the second game of the day.”
Early on, it didn’t look like it was going our way. Their starting pitcher was dealing. He kept us off balance and they jumped out to a 4–0 lead. But no one in our dugout panicked. We knew they were low on pitching coming into the day. Our mindset was simple. Get their starter out of the game and we would have a shot at their bullpen.
Once we got into their relievers, things changed. Our hitters started putting together better at bats and stopped chasing. Maverick Stallings had a big RBI that tied the game, and Tyler Zedalis drove in the go ahead run with a sacrifice fly. That’s situational baseball. That is what won it.
When we took the 5–4 lead, I was still on the mound. After battling back like that, I was not letting it slip. I just focused on attacking hitters and getting quick outs, keeping the momentum on our side. That ended up being my first career win at ODU, which made it even more meaningful.
The ninth inning was probably the biggest part of that game. Charlie Pearce, a freshman, came in with the bases loaded and one out. That is not an easy situation for anyone, especially a freshman. But he stayed calm. When he got the final out, he pumped his arms toward our dugout and we all ran out to celebrate (in the photo below). It was his first collegiate save, and it secured the sweep.
A sweep means you win all three games in a series, and doing it in a doubleheader to finish it off says something about your team. We were tired and It was the second game of the day, but like Finny said, the tougher team was going to win that one, and we did.
First career win for me. First save for Charlie. And a sweep under the lights at home.
