Shimrock's '09 seven hits raise his average to .421

Author: Livingston Burgess

The final weekend of Middlebury's baseball season proceeded much the same as its other weeks. High-scoring games, more losses than wins - many of them heartbreakers - but nonetheless plenty of bright points, including a well-played win against a NESCAC opponent to conclude the spring schedule.

The week's games began Friday, May 2 with a matchup against Bates that started inauspiciously. With the Bobcats stroking singles around the yard off starter Justin Wright '08, Middlebury's defense committed three errors in the first inning, allowing Bates to bat around and plate eight runs, four of them earned, in the frame. The string was especially tough because Wright did not lose particularly many balls - only two hits in the inning went for extra bases - Bates simply kept finding holes.

The Panthers immediately started rallying, scoring four in the second, largely on the strength of a double and two RBIs from Mark Shimrock '09, who led the team in most offensive categories for the season. Erich Enns '10 also clubbed his eighth homer in the eighth, but the comeback fell short when Bates' final reliever set down five straight to close the game with a 13-11 final score.

Saturday's opener against Bowdoin also saw the Panthers undone by a single huge inning, this time at the game's end. Nick Angstman '11 started and pitched capably once again, giving up five runs over five frames while his offense held a steady scoring pace. Heading into the sixth, the score stood at 7-5, Middlebury had committed only one error and Angstman was in line for a hard-fought win in a well-played game.

In the sixth, though, Matt Lowes '10 was greeted with a home run and walked a batter, and was promptly replaced by Matt Joseph '09. Joseph, however, did not fare much better. The Polar Bears tore into him with a vengeance, quickly erasing the Middlebury lead, sending 16 hitters to the plate in the inning, with 12 of them scoring. In the top of the seventh, coach Bob Smith batted his subs, who fought admirably for four runs, but a twin killing and called last strike were the final nails in the 17-11 coffin.

The story of the final game was the masterful pitching of Steve Shortle '09 in relief. Shortle pitched the final 4.2 innings and surrendered only one unearned run, striking out five Polar Bears. He got most of his help, once again, from Shimrock. His 3-for-5 day brought his average up to .421 and gave him 44 RBIs for the season as the Panthers won a 9-6 decision to finish 14-16 overall (4-8 NESCAC).

An impressive aspect of the game was the ability of Middlebury's pitchers to pick up their defense and minimize the impact of errors. In the first inning, some luck and some crafty pitching allowed Christian Hansen '08 to escape three miscues unscathed, and Shortle gave up only one run in a two-error sixth inning.