BALTIMORE, Maryland May 31, 2014 - Maryland has been playing college baseball since the 19th Century, but through May 29, 2014 they had won a grand total of one NCAA Tournament Game, and that one win was 44 years ago. But now, In the space of two days at the end of May, 2014 the Terps have won more NCAA Tournament games than all of the other Maryland teams put together. Tonight in Colombia, South Carolina, in front of over 8,000 roaring South Carolina fans, the Terps beat the Number One Seed, 4-3, breaking the Gamecocks' 28 game home winning streak in the NCAA Tournament, a streak that dates all the way back to 2002. And Maryland did it by relying on their heretofore shaky bullpen, which rose up and held South Carolina scoreless over the final two and two-thirds innings of this thrilling Regional Showdown. Terp starter Mike Shawaryn left Maryland a one run lead when he departed after throwing 112 pitches over the first six and one-third innings.
Bobby Ruse relieved Shawaryn in the seventh inning with one out and two on and worked his way out of the jam without giving up a run. In the 8th inning, South Carolina put a man on second with one out, and Terp Coach John Szefc went again to the pen for Kevin Mooney, his closer. Mooney wiggled his way out of the 8th without giving up a run. But then in the ninth South Carolina put runners at the corners with one out. only to see Mooney induce their third baseman, Joey Pankake, to hit in to a double play to end the game. Blake Schmit's relay throw to Lamont Wade beat Pankake by a whisker, and the first base umpire gave an emphatic out call even as Pankake signaled safe. The heart-stopping win puts Maryland in the most preferred position in the regional tournament. They can now watch the Gamecocks play at 1 pm Sunday against Campbell, with the winner of that game playing Maryland at 7 pm in the 'first' regional championship. If Maryland can win that game they will be the NCAA regional champion, but even if they lose, there will be a rematch Monday at 7 pm, since the winner of the loser's bracket - which is what the winner of tomorrow's 1 pm game will be - must beat Maryland twice to win the regional.
Maryland scored all four of its runs in the first two innings, as they knocked Gamecock starter Jack Wynkoop out of the game after just one and two-thirds innings. In the bottom of the first inning, Charlie White led off with a booming double to the fence in left center. One out later he scored on a Brandon Lowe single to left. The Terps struck for three more runs in the second inning, with the entire uprising taking place after there were two outs and nobody on base. Kevin Martir got it started by sending a line drive single to left field, which the left fielder misplayed, allowing Martir to advance to second base. White then sent a hard ground ball into the hole between the first baseman and second baseman. Gamecock first sacker Kyle Martin dove to his right and speared the ball, but no one covered first and White reached, with Martir taking third. White was correctly credited with a hit since even if the pitcher covered first it is doubtful if they could have retired the speedy White. Lamont Wade followed with a line drive double down the first base line. Martir scored and White raced to third. The Terps now led, 2-0. Brandon Lowe followed by hitting a swinging bunt that trickled down the third base line. Pankake charged the ball and threw off-balance to first. The throw hit the dirt and bounced past Martin, allowing both White and Wade to score and putting Maryland ahead, 4-0.
Shawaryn made the four run lead stand up through the third inning, but South Carolina got on the board in the top of the fourth when D.J. Arendas hit a two-out RBI single. The Gamecocks struck for two more runs in the sixth inning, but they came within inches of pulling even when Martin's long drive to right hit a few inches below the top of the right field wall and bounced back into play. There were two Gamecocks on base when that happened, and had it gone for a home run - and South Carolina argued for such a call, although replays showed the umpire's call was clearly correct - the score would have been tied, 4-4. Instead, only one run scored on the play, and another run scored later in the inning. But Martin, who was at second with only one out, did not score. After Martin's double, which came with one out, Arendas hit a sacrifice fly to score the third South Carolina run, but Shawaryn struck out Connor Bright to end the inning.
The Terps nearly got one run back in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and Anthony Papio at second, Lamont Wade singled to left. But Papio was thrown out at home on a throw from left fielder Gene Cone. Shawaryn came out to start the seventh and got the first man out on a ground ball to Blake Schmit. But then the freshman hit South Carolina's number nine hitter, Tanner English, who then stole second. After that, he walked the Gamecock's leadoff hitter, Marcus Mooney, to put runners at first and second with one out. At this point Szefc went to the bullpen for Bobby Ruse. Ruse proceeded to get out of the inning when Max Scrock lined out to right fielder Papio, and Pankake grounded out to second baseman Lowe. Kyle Martin started the South Carolina 8th with a solid single, and he was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Grayson Greiner. Here, Szefc went to his closer, Mooney. Things started poorly for Mooney, as he hit the first batter he faced, Arendas. But he got out of the jame when the next hitter, Bright, hit into a fielder's choice and then Cone struck out to end the inning. Then came the ninth.
In other games Saturday - some of which were reported on in an earlier post - Nebraska eliminated Binghamton, 8-6; Kentucky scored three in the ninth to eliminate Kent State, 4-2; Xavier eliminated Clemson, 6-4; Youngstown State eliminated Indiana State, 5-2; powerful La. - Lafayette recovered from Friday's upset loss to eliminate San Diego State, 9-2; Bucknell eliminated Liberty, 5-2; Southeast Louisiana sent Bryant packing, 2-1; Sienna rallied to end Dallas Baptist's season, 9-8; Sacremento State ended it for Arizona State, 5-4; and UNLV ended North Dakota State's season, 2-1. The Oxford, Mississippi regional at the University of Mississippi was rained out on Friday, and so on Saturday the four teams assigned there played their first games. Mississippi crushed Jackson State in one game, 12-2; while Washington shut out Georgia Tech in the other game, 8-0.
Columbia, which last year won the first NCAA game in school history, battled its way back into the tournament this year, but was eliminated Saturday in a thrilling game with Bethune Cookman. The winners broke on top, 6-0, only to see the Lions claw their way back into the game. When the Lions came to bat in the bottom of the seventh, they were six runs down. But they put four runs on the board in the seventh, and added a run int he bottom of the ninth, before their comeback ended one run short. The Lions' Gus Craig's two out single in the bottom of the ninth scored pinch runner Logan Boyner to pull Columbia within one run. Shane Adams entered the game as a pinch runner for Craig, and he was off to the races when Robb Paller sent a smoking line drive to center field. But Bethune Cookman's centerfielder Eros Modena made a very good catch to end the game and keep Bethune Cookman's hopes alive.
In winner's bracket games later Saturday, Louisville beat Kansas, 6-3; Virginia whacked Arkansas, 3-0; Vanderbilt beat back Oregon, 7-2; LSU downed Houston, 5-1; Mississippi State downed Jackson State, 3-1; Pepperdine beat Cal-Poly, 2-1; The College of Charleston beat Long Beach State, 6-3; and Texas Tech defeated Miami, 3-0. Other games were still being played as this was posted at about midnight
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Florida State eliminated; Maryland in Ninth Inning Rally to Edge Old Dominion; Will Play South Carolina Saturday Night; Florida Also Defeated; Oregon State Survives North Dakota State in Thriller
BALTIMORE, Maryland May 31, 2014 - As I begin this post, Alabama has survived an amazing ninth inning surge by Florida State and eliminated the Seminoles, 6-5. The Crimson Tide had a 6-0 lead going to the bottom of the ninth, but Florida State had three runs in and the bases loaded with nobody out, most of the damage coming on walks and a hit batsmen. Alabama's freshman closer, Thomas Burrows, got two outs on a strike out and fly out, but then faced ACC Player of the Year, DJ Stewart. Steward hit a solid single to center, scoring two runs and sending the tie run to third. Normally, FSU cleanup hitter John Nogowski would have been due up, but he had been pulled for a pinch runner in the 8th inning, and Seminole Coach Mike Martin opted to bring up freshman reserve catcher Gage West. West got great 'wood' on the aluminum bat, but it stayed in the park and was caught in centerfield for the final out. It is the first time in 30 years that Florida State lost the first two games of a regional tournament. Alabama survives and will play the loser of tonight's Georgia Southern-Kennesaw State game in another elimination game Sunday afternoon.
At Colombia, South Carolina, Maryland struck for three runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat Old Dominion, 4-3. The Monarch's Andy Roberts and Ryan Yarbrough, both southpaws, combined to shut Maryland out through seven innnings while Old Dominion was scoring single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings. In the bottom of the 8th, Maryland loaded the bases on consecutive singles by Lamont Wade, Brandon Lowe and Jose Cuas, all with nobody out. At that point, Old Dominion went back to the bullpen and brought in righthander Connor Overton. Overton responded by inducing Blake Schmit to hit into a doubleplay, although Wade scored on the play. Overton then struck out Tim Lewis to end the threat. Jake Stinnett went 8 strong innings for Maryland, giving up the three runs on 7 hits. Taylor Stiles came on to pitch the ninth and promptly gave up a single to Josh Eldridge. Brian Beard pinch ran for Eldridge, but Stiles quickly picked him off of first base. He then struck out the next two hitters, giving the Terps one last chance in the ninth, down now by only two runs. Maryland wasted little time. Kyle Convissar, who had entered the game in the fifth inning as a pinch hitter when Terp Coach John Szefc was looking for a right-handed hitter against Old Dominion's staple of southpaws. That move paid huge dividends in the dramatic ninth, as Convissar led off by driving a pitch to the fence in deep left center field, good for a stand-up double. Anthony Papio grouded out, however, and the Monarchs were only two outs away from a huge win. Again, ODU Coach Chris Finwood went to the pen, this time bringing on his lead closer, Brad Gero. Trouble was a brewing for ODU. Kevin Martir greeted Gero by hitting a ground ball between third and shortstop. The third baseman for Old Dominion, P.J. Higgins, put his glove down as he moved quickly to his left, but the ball got past him, allowing Convissar to race to race to third and Martir to reach first. Charlie White followed Martir by hitting an 0-2 pitch into centerfield for a run-scoring single. Martir stopped at second. Lamont Wade then worked Gero for a walk to load the bases. Then something happened that never happened before in an NCAA playoff game. Gero hit Brandon Lowe and Jose Cuas on consecutive pitches to force in first the tie run and then the winning run. Unbelievable. The entire Maryland team stormed onto the field to celebrate while the Old Dominion lads looked like nine deer caught in the headlights of a Mack Truck. The Terps will take on the number one seed in this regional, South Carolina, tonight at 7 pm on ESPN3. The Gamecocks advanced with a 5-2 win over the Campbell Camels. Campbell and ODU are playing as I write this post in an elimination game. In another Saturday game to be completed, Campbell defeated Old Dominion, 7-3, in 12 innings.
Florida, another of the top five national seeds, also went down to defeat yesterday. So did Louisiana-Lafayette and their nation-leading 53 wins. The overall number one national seed, Oregon State, had to fight like all get out to come from behind and scrape by upset minded North Dakota State, 2-1. The Bison took a second inning lead when Kyle Kleinendorst whacked a leadoff home run. The Beavers tied the game in the bottom of the second, then moved ahead when Dylan Davis hit a homer in the seventh inning. Florida lost to the College of Charleston, 3-2, at Gainesville. Jackson State stunned powerful La. - Lafayette, 1-0. Also, Cal State - Fullerton beat Nebraska, 5-1; Oregon crushed Clemson, 18-1; Long Beach State whacked North Carolina, 6-1; Stanford beat Indiana State, 5-1; Texas Tech pushed across a run in the ninth to beat Columbia, 3-2; Mississippi State edged San Diego State, 5-2; Virginia humbled Bucknell, 10-1; Kansas outlasted Kentucky, 10-6; LSU got by Southeastern Louisiana, 8-4; Sam Houston State beat Dallas Baptist, 2-1; Texas beat Texas A & M, 8-1; Pepperdine surprised Arizona State, 3-2; UC-Irvine crushed UNLV, 10-3; Oklahoma State ran past Binghamton, 8-0; Indiana defeated Youngstown State, 10-2; Miami of Florida just got by Bethune-Cookman, 1-0; Arkansas downed Liberty, 3-2, and will play Virginia tonight in Charlottesville; Houston edged Bryant, 3-2; TCU got by Sienna, 2-1; Cal-Poly edged Sacremento State, 4-2; Louisville got by Kent State, 5-0; Rice hammered George Mason, 7-2; and Vanderbilt humiliated Xavier, 11-0.
One regional was rained out Friday and started Saturday afternoon. In Oxford, Mississippi, Washington defeated Georgia Tech, 8-0.
At Colombia, South Carolina, Maryland struck for three runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat Old Dominion, 4-3. The Monarch's Andy Roberts and Ryan Yarbrough, both southpaws, combined to shut Maryland out through seven innnings while Old Dominion was scoring single runs in the third, fifth and sixth innings. In the bottom of the 8th, Maryland loaded the bases on consecutive singles by Lamont Wade, Brandon Lowe and Jose Cuas, all with nobody out. At that point, Old Dominion went back to the bullpen and brought in righthander Connor Overton. Overton responded by inducing Blake Schmit to hit into a doubleplay, although Wade scored on the play. Overton then struck out Tim Lewis to end the threat. Jake Stinnett went 8 strong innings for Maryland, giving up the three runs on 7 hits. Taylor Stiles came on to pitch the ninth and promptly gave up a single to Josh Eldridge. Brian Beard pinch ran for Eldridge, but Stiles quickly picked him off of first base. He then struck out the next two hitters, giving the Terps one last chance in the ninth, down now by only two runs. Maryland wasted little time. Kyle Convissar, who had entered the game in the fifth inning as a pinch hitter when Terp Coach John Szefc was looking for a right-handed hitter against Old Dominion's staple of southpaws. That move paid huge dividends in the dramatic ninth, as Convissar led off by driving a pitch to the fence in deep left center field, good for a stand-up double. Anthony Papio grouded out, however, and the Monarchs were only two outs away from a huge win. Again, ODU Coach Chris Finwood went to the pen, this time bringing on his lead closer, Brad Gero. Trouble was a brewing for ODU. Kevin Martir greeted Gero by hitting a ground ball between third and shortstop. The third baseman for Old Dominion, P.J. Higgins, put his glove down as he moved quickly to his left, but the ball got past him, allowing Convissar to race to race to third and Martir to reach first. Charlie White followed Martir by hitting an 0-2 pitch into centerfield for a run-scoring single. Martir stopped at second. Lamont Wade then worked Gero for a walk to load the bases. Then something happened that never happened before in an NCAA playoff game. Gero hit Brandon Lowe and Jose Cuas on consecutive pitches to force in first the tie run and then the winning run. Unbelievable. The entire Maryland team stormed onto the field to celebrate while the Old Dominion lads looked like nine deer caught in the headlights of a Mack Truck. The Terps will take on the number one seed in this regional, South Carolina, tonight at 7 pm on ESPN3. The Gamecocks advanced with a 5-2 win over the Campbell Camels. Campbell and ODU are playing as I write this post in an elimination game. In another Saturday game to be completed, Campbell defeated Old Dominion, 7-3, in 12 innings.
Florida, another of the top five national seeds, also went down to defeat yesterday. So did Louisiana-Lafayette and their nation-leading 53 wins. The overall number one national seed, Oregon State, had to fight like all get out to come from behind and scrape by upset minded North Dakota State, 2-1. The Bison took a second inning lead when Kyle Kleinendorst whacked a leadoff home run. The Beavers tied the game in the bottom of the second, then moved ahead when Dylan Davis hit a homer in the seventh inning. Florida lost to the College of Charleston, 3-2, at Gainesville. Jackson State stunned powerful La. - Lafayette, 1-0. Also, Cal State - Fullerton beat Nebraska, 5-1; Oregon crushed Clemson, 18-1; Long Beach State whacked North Carolina, 6-1; Stanford beat Indiana State, 5-1; Texas Tech pushed across a run in the ninth to beat Columbia, 3-2; Mississippi State edged San Diego State, 5-2; Virginia humbled Bucknell, 10-1; Kansas outlasted Kentucky, 10-6; LSU got by Southeastern Louisiana, 8-4; Sam Houston State beat Dallas Baptist, 2-1; Texas beat Texas A & M, 8-1; Pepperdine surprised Arizona State, 3-2; UC-Irvine crushed UNLV, 10-3; Oklahoma State ran past Binghamton, 8-0; Indiana defeated Youngstown State, 10-2; Miami of Florida just got by Bethune-Cookman, 1-0; Arkansas downed Liberty, 3-2, and will play Virginia tonight in Charlottesville; Houston edged Bryant, 3-2; TCU got by Sienna, 2-1; Cal-Poly edged Sacremento State, 4-2; Louisville got by Kent State, 5-0; Rice hammered George Mason, 7-2; and Vanderbilt humiliated Xavier, 11-0.
One regional was rained out Friday and started Saturday afternoon. In Oxford, Mississippi, Washington defeated Georgia Tech, 8-0.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Queens Park Rangers Savor Return to Premier League Despite Club's High Debt Picture
BALTIMORE, Maryland May 27, 2014 - It was the classic battle of wills, and Queens Park emerged from it as the winner of the Championship League's third promotion to the Premier League. The score in the game was 0-0 and the Rangers were playing with ten men after one of its players was sent off at the hour mark of the Wembley Stadium match with Derby County. But then, at time, Bobby Zamora of the Rangers scored what spectators called a miracle goal. Pictures of Zamora, whose goal in a similar circumstance sent West Ham back to the Premier in 2007, showed an absolutely delighted scorer dancing the moment.
Queens Park had to fight a virtual war with Wigan Athletic just to get to Wembley. The two-legged playoff round was scoreless through the first game at Wigan, and 1-1 after 90 minutes of the second leg on Loftus Road. In the overtime period, Charlie Austin of the Rangers scored his second goal of the match after just six minutes. The rest of the match consisted of Wigan firing away, relentlessly, for the equalizer, but the Rangers outstanding keeper, Rob Green, was equal to the task.
The match against Derby County was even more dramatic, especially for the Ranger defense. They had been sensational from the outset before a packed stadium in London, but at the hour mark Gary O'Neil of Queens Park was sent off by the referee at a time when the Rams were controlling play and pressuring Green with the teams at equal strength. Some fans, in fact, said Derby was the pressuring team throughout, and that Green played one of his best games in keeping the Rams off the scoreboard. Richard Dunne, in the center of the Ranger defense, made a mistake in the first half to give the Rams one of their best chances, a chance that Green stopped. But in that final half hour, when his team was a man down, it was Dunne, also, who rose up and anchored the defense, giving the Rangers an immediate return to the Premier after a single year in the Championship.
Club officials hinted, without actually saying it, that the largesse of the Premier will cure the club's financial problems. Of course, it doesn't take a genius to see that it could also make it worse.
Queens Park had to fight a virtual war with Wigan Athletic just to get to Wembley. The two-legged playoff round was scoreless through the first game at Wigan, and 1-1 after 90 minutes of the second leg on Loftus Road. In the overtime period, Charlie Austin of the Rangers scored his second goal of the match after just six minutes. The rest of the match consisted of Wigan firing away, relentlessly, for the equalizer, but the Rangers outstanding keeper, Rob Green, was equal to the task.
The match against Derby County was even more dramatic, especially for the Ranger defense. They had been sensational from the outset before a packed stadium in London, but at the hour mark Gary O'Neil of Queens Park was sent off by the referee at a time when the Rams were controlling play and pressuring Green with the teams at equal strength. Some fans, in fact, said Derby was the pressuring team throughout, and that Green played one of his best games in keeping the Rams off the scoreboard. Richard Dunne, in the center of the Ranger defense, made a mistake in the first half to give the Rams one of their best chances, a chance that Green stopped. But in that final half hour, when his team was a man down, it was Dunne, also, who rose up and anchored the defense, giving the Rangers an immediate return to the Premier after a single year in the Championship.
Club officials hinted, without actually saying it, that the largesse of the Premier will cure the club's financial problems. Of course, it doesn't take a genius to see that it could also make it worse.
The Ukraine Vote: Poroshenko Victory Cements Ukraine's Pro-European Tilt; Moscow Slow to Recognize New Leader
BALTIMORE, Maryland May 28, 2014 - Pro-European Businessman Viktor Poroshenko is the apparent winner of nationwide presidential voting on Sunday in Ukraine. The victory is seen as a stamp of approval for many of the reforms instituted by the interim government in Kiev, which came to power in March when the elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, either addicated or was forced from power by anti-Russian/pro-EU demonstrations, mainly in Kiev but also in other cities. Those demonstrators were part of a movement in Ukraine that came to be called Euromaidan.
Poroshenko apparently has gained more than enough votes to avoid a run-off election on June 15. The marker for avoiding the runoff was 50% of the popular vote. The Ukraine Central Election Commission said that Poroshenko had received some 54.4 of the vote with over 94% of all votes counted. Placing second was former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, with 12.9% of the vote. According to Al Jazeera - and anything from Al Jazeera should be taken bearing in mind the bias of the source, which is admittedly pro-Arab and anti-Jewish - only 7 of 22 registered polling places near Donetsk, in Eastern Ukraine, were up and running Sunday for the vote. The pro-Russian Separatist Movement opposed the elections because they claim their region is no longer part of Ukraine. They say they are a new and Independent Nation called the People's Republic of Donetsk. However, in today's post, Al Jazeera reported on splits amongst the Separatists. One leader, Igor Strelkov, is said to be a Russian agent by authorities in Kiev. Credible and Incisive reported in April that Strelkov was interviewed by a publication in Moscow in April, and in it he conceded that at least half and up to two-thirds of the men in his Separatist unit were actually Russian military people.
Fox News reported late Wednesday morning, EDT, that Separatists in Donetsk have conceded that some of their number are militiamen from Chechnya. There have been continued charges that the Separatists are not mainly from Ukraine. Strelkov's interview with the Russian news site was only one source of those reports. This new admition strengthens those reports, although Putin and his administration have denied again that Russia is involved in any way in the Separatist movements. In March he threatened repeatedly to invade Ukraine if the Kiev government used military force against the Separatists. He has backed off of that in some ways - troops on the coast with Ukraine, once 40,000 strong, are said to be slowly withdrawing - but the reports of infusions of troops, however disguised, strenghtens those reports. One obvious point of conflict, at least publicly, was the leaflet distributed by a Separatist Leader in Donetsk that called for all Jewish people to personally register at one of the government buildings being occupied by the Separatists, and in registering, the Jewish people were also supposed to inventory their assets so that the fine new people running the separatist movement would be aware of them. I'm trying to remember who the last leader was with an idea like that. What was his name?
Jewish leaders were comforted by the vote on Sunday because ultra right wing candidates received so little support. A Jewish publication in New York, Jewish Week, quoted the chairman of the Vaad Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities in Ukraine, Josef Zissels, as saying that "the resounding victory of Poroshenko in just about every region of Ukraine not only eliminated the need for a costly second round but also sends an important message of unity...The failure of the ultranationalists reflects a reality which we have been trying to represent all the time despite Russian propaganda’s attempt to portray Ukrainian society as intolerant."
And the idea that the result would have been dramatically different if the East wasn't in armed rebellion was undercut by polls taken recently by international groups. These polls showed that as much as 70% of Eastern Ukraine Citizens wanted nothing to do with becoming part of Russia or becoming part of a country other than Ukraine. Sometimes in a society the dissatisfied speak up loudly against the powers that be, but can never form a lasting movement of increasing numbers. That, apparently, is the legacy of the Separatists. But that doesn't mean that things won't change if the new government doesn't make changes in the East.
Moscow and its leader, the Strong Man Vladimir Putin, said before the election that it would respect the outcome and work with the new leaders. In the wake of the election, it has yet to say that it recognizes the results or the Poroshenko's incoming leadership.
At the same time that Ukraine elected a new president it also conducted local elections across the country. Parliamentary elections were not held, although some groups urged Poroshenko to dissolve parliament and hold such elections at soon as possible.
The most well-known winner amongst those seeking office in Ukraine was former heavyweight boxing contender Vitali Klitschko. Klitschko has claimed victory in the election for a new Mayor of Kiev, according to Yahoo News. Klitschko's claim is based only on exit polls, however. Those polls showed him with 57% of all votes cast. It is not known when the official results for that job will be revealed. The Mayor of the Ukraine's largest city is recognized as wielding great power in Ukrainian affairs. The 42-year-old athlete is eager for that platform and his opportunity to speak to younger Ukraine voters. He ran on a ticket with Poroshenko.
Poroshenko apparently has gained more than enough votes to avoid a run-off election on June 15. The marker for avoiding the runoff was 50% of the popular vote. The Ukraine Central Election Commission said that Poroshenko had received some 54.4 of the vote with over 94% of all votes counted. Placing second was former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, with 12.9% of the vote. According to Al Jazeera - and anything from Al Jazeera should be taken bearing in mind the bias of the source, which is admittedly pro-Arab and anti-Jewish - only 7 of 22 registered polling places near Donetsk, in Eastern Ukraine, were up and running Sunday for the vote. The pro-Russian Separatist Movement opposed the elections because they claim their region is no longer part of Ukraine. They say they are a new and Independent Nation called the People's Republic of Donetsk. However, in today's post, Al Jazeera reported on splits amongst the Separatists. One leader, Igor Strelkov, is said to be a Russian agent by authorities in Kiev. Credible and Incisive reported in April that Strelkov was interviewed by a publication in Moscow in April, and in it he conceded that at least half and up to two-thirds of the men in his Separatist unit were actually Russian military people.
Fox News reported late Wednesday morning, EDT, that Separatists in Donetsk have conceded that some of their number are militiamen from Chechnya. There have been continued charges that the Separatists are not mainly from Ukraine. Strelkov's interview with the Russian news site was only one source of those reports. This new admition strengthens those reports, although Putin and his administration have denied again that Russia is involved in any way in the Separatist movements. In March he threatened repeatedly to invade Ukraine if the Kiev government used military force against the Separatists. He has backed off of that in some ways - troops on the coast with Ukraine, once 40,000 strong, are said to be slowly withdrawing - but the reports of infusions of troops, however disguised, strenghtens those reports. One obvious point of conflict, at least publicly, was the leaflet distributed by a Separatist Leader in Donetsk that called for all Jewish people to personally register at one of the government buildings being occupied by the Separatists, and in registering, the Jewish people were also supposed to inventory their assets so that the fine new people running the separatist movement would be aware of them. I'm trying to remember who the last leader was with an idea like that. What was his name?
Jewish leaders were comforted by the vote on Sunday because ultra right wing candidates received so little support. A Jewish publication in New York, Jewish Week, quoted the chairman of the Vaad Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities in Ukraine, Josef Zissels, as saying that "the resounding victory of Poroshenko in just about every region of Ukraine not only eliminated the need for a costly second round but also sends an important message of unity...The failure of the ultranationalists reflects a reality which we have been trying to represent all the time despite Russian propaganda’s attempt to portray Ukrainian society as intolerant."
And the idea that the result would have been dramatically different if the East wasn't in armed rebellion was undercut by polls taken recently by international groups. These polls showed that as much as 70% of Eastern Ukraine Citizens wanted nothing to do with becoming part of Russia or becoming part of a country other than Ukraine. Sometimes in a society the dissatisfied speak up loudly against the powers that be, but can never form a lasting movement of increasing numbers. That, apparently, is the legacy of the Separatists. But that doesn't mean that things won't change if the new government doesn't make changes in the East.
Moscow and its leader, the Strong Man Vladimir Putin, said before the election that it would respect the outcome and work with the new leaders. In the wake of the election, it has yet to say that it recognizes the results or the Poroshenko's incoming leadership.
At the same time that Ukraine elected a new president it also conducted local elections across the country. Parliamentary elections were not held, although some groups urged Poroshenko to dissolve parliament and hold such elections at soon as possible.
The most well-known winner amongst those seeking office in Ukraine was former heavyweight boxing contender Vitali Klitschko. Klitschko has claimed victory in the election for a new Mayor of Kiev, according to Yahoo News. Klitschko's claim is based only on exit polls, however. Those polls showed him with 57% of all votes cast. It is not known when the official results for that job will be revealed. The Mayor of the Ukraine's largest city is recognized as wielding great power in Ukrainian affairs. The 42-year-old athlete is eager for that platform and his opportunity to speak to younger Ukraine voters. He ran on a ticket with Poroshenko.
Monday, May 26, 2014
They're In! Terps gain NCAA Bid for First Time in 43 Years! Maryland One of Seven ACC Schools in Championship Hunt
BALTIMORE, Maryland May 26, 2014 - It has been so long since Maryland played in an NCAA Baseball Tournament that the players on that team are now in their sixties. The conference they play in now, the ACC, placed seven schools in the 64 team field. Yet the conference is so strong that three other schools felt like they should have been included.
The NCAA named the 64 teams that will play in the National Tournament, culminating in the eight-team College World Series later next month in Omaha, Nebraska. Maryland is in, and will play Old Dominion later this week at the field of the host school, the powerful South Carolina Gamecocks. This regional tournament, consisting of four teams, is a double-elimination affair. If the Terps win their first game, they will play the winner of South Carolina and Campbell. Should Maryland emerge from their regional, they would play the winner of the Virginia Regional (Virginia, Bucknell, Liberty and Arkansas) in the so-called super-regional. If Virginia wins their regional, Maryland would play the super-regional in Charlottesville. If Maryland wins their regional and somebody besides Virginia wins that regional, there is some chance that the super-regional would be at Maryland, but don't bet on it.
There are 16 regional tournaments, each with four teams. As noted above, the 16 winners advance to what are called "Super Regionals," the following weekend. The super-regionals consist of two teams. Thus, there will be eight of them. The eight winners of the super-regionals advance to the College World Series. The super-regionals match the two teams in each one in a best of three series.
If the ACC considers it impressive to have 7 of their 14 baseball-playing schools named to the naational tournament, consider the powerful SEC. That conference has ten of their schools in the national tournament. The head of the selection committee was on ESPNU at noon on Monday, and he said that the top five seeds in the tournament were very easy to name. Two of those schools play in the ACC. They are Virginia and Florida State. Maryland beat both of those schools in the ACC tournament. The other three schools in the top five are Florida, Oregon State, and Indiana. One other ACC School, MIami, is a regional host. The top 8 seeds are automatically the home team all the way through the tournament until and if they qualify for the College World Series. In other words, if a top 8 school wins the regional they host, they would then host a super regional. Seeds 9 through 16 get to host a regional, but, if they win that, they must travel to a top 8 seed for the super regional. All of this is contingent on the seeds winning their regionals, something that does not always happen. Maryland, for instance, is a No. 2 seed.
The Terps battled their way into the ACC Title game, and actually led that game after six innings, only to have Georgia Tech rally against the Maryland bullpen for a 9-4 win. Tech jumped on Jake Drossner, the Maryland starter, for two runs in the first inning. The Terps scored their first run in the bottom of the second when Blake Schmit hit his first home run of the season. Then Tech pushed their lead back to two runs with a single run in the top of the fourth. Maryland answered with a single run in their half of the fourth. Anthony Papio ripped a two out single to score the run, making it 3-2, Tech. Maryland struck for two more runs in the sixth to take their only lead of the game. First, the Terps loaded the bases with nobody out on a walk and two singles. Anthony Papio tied the game with another run-scoring single, and the bases remained loaded. The go-ahead run scored when Kevin Martir hit into a double play and Lewis scooted home as Tech went around the horn.
The lead did not last. The Yellow Jackets - which in winning earned the ACC's one automatic bid, something, as it turned out, the Jackets would not have gotten had Maryland won - tied the game with a single run in the top of the seventh. With the score now tied, Tech came up in the 8th inning and scored three runs on three hits and a huge Maryland throwing error committed by pitcher Kevin Mooney. The Yellowjackets scored two insurance runs in the ninth off of Ben Brewster.
Unlike Georgia Tech, Maryland was in the NCAA Tournament whether or not they won the Sunday game. Interestingly, the Selection Committee told ESPNU that North Carolina and Clemson were two of the last four teams in the tournament field, but none of the three snubbed ACC teams: North Carolina State, Duke and Wake Forest, were said to be among the first four out. What that means is that North Carolina and Georgia Tech needed to beat Maryland to get in the tournament and that is what both did. Maryland, on the other hand, not only got in the tournament as an at-large team, but were awarded a number two seed. That means that in the minds of the Selection Committee, they are among the top 32 teams in the USA. Try telling that to the Maryland fans who watched the selection show on ESPNU Monday afternoon. Maryland was one of the final teams announced as making the field. It was just wonderful. I was comforted in the knowledge that North Carolina was in, which should have guaranteed Maryland a berth since the Terps finished above the Tar Heels in the ACC Standings and in terms of their overall record. As it turned out, that was not a sure sign they were in, since Duke also had a better ACC record than did North Carolina, but they didn't get in. And Duke came within an eyelash of making the ACC Title Game Sunday. They lost in 12 innings to Miami Saturday afternoon. Had they won, they, and not Georgia Tech, would have played Maryland Sunday.
The way that the regional sets up raises some interesting strategy questions for Maryland Coach John Szefc. You must win at least three games, and maybe as many as five, to win the regional, which is played out over as many as four days beginning Friday. The easy strategy is to have the best pitcher you have available start each game. If Szefc follows that strategy - as he did in the ACC Tournament - Jake Stinnett would start against Old Dominion. If the Tournament follows form, and both Maryland and South Carolina win their opening game, they would play each other Saturday night, and the Terps would have Mike Shawaryn on the hill. If Maryland also wins that game, they would have Jake Drossner start the potential championship game Sunday night. That strategy worked in the ACC Tournament right up to the championship game.
But there is another strategy, and it has its risks. In this 'other' strategy, Maryland has Drossner start the first game against Old Dominion. If Maryland can beat Old Dominion with Drossner, they would have Stinnett available to face South Carolina on Saturday and, if they win, Mike Shawaryn available to face whoever emerges from the loser's bracket on Sunday night for the Championship.
One coach who followed this second strategy was North Carolina State Coach Elliott Avent. State barely qualified for the ACC Tournament and Avent knew that his only hope to gain entry to the NCAA Tournament was to win the ACC Tournament. To win the ACC, he had to first win a play-in game on Tuesday. But instead of starting his top pitcher, Carlos Rodon, whom many believe will be the overall #1 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft, Avent decided to try to win the play-in with a host of bullpen pitchers, saving his best starters for the powerful teams they would have to play if they could get by the play-in. It almost worked, but almost doesn't count. State lost the play-in the North Carolina, 4-3. If the same thing happened to Maryland - if Szefc started Drossner against Old Dominion and lost the game - Maryland would be dumped into the loser's bracket and have to win five games to win the regional. Maryland's bullpen did not perform well in the ACC tournament.
The NCAA named the 64 teams that will play in the National Tournament, culminating in the eight-team College World Series later next month in Omaha, Nebraska. Maryland is in, and will play Old Dominion later this week at the field of the host school, the powerful South Carolina Gamecocks. This regional tournament, consisting of four teams, is a double-elimination affair. If the Terps win their first game, they will play the winner of South Carolina and Campbell. Should Maryland emerge from their regional, they would play the winner of the Virginia Regional (Virginia, Bucknell, Liberty and Arkansas) in the so-called super-regional. If Virginia wins their regional, Maryland would play the super-regional in Charlottesville. If Maryland wins their regional and somebody besides Virginia wins that regional, there is some chance that the super-regional would be at Maryland, but don't bet on it.
There are 16 regional tournaments, each with four teams. As noted above, the 16 winners advance to what are called "Super Regionals," the following weekend. The super-regionals consist of two teams. Thus, there will be eight of them. The eight winners of the super-regionals advance to the College World Series. The super-regionals match the two teams in each one in a best of three series.
If the ACC considers it impressive to have 7 of their 14 baseball-playing schools named to the naational tournament, consider the powerful SEC. That conference has ten of their schools in the national tournament. The head of the selection committee was on ESPNU at noon on Monday, and he said that the top five seeds in the tournament were very easy to name. Two of those schools play in the ACC. They are Virginia and Florida State. Maryland beat both of those schools in the ACC tournament. The other three schools in the top five are Florida, Oregon State, and Indiana. One other ACC School, MIami, is a regional host. The top 8 seeds are automatically the home team all the way through the tournament until and if they qualify for the College World Series. In other words, if a top 8 school wins the regional they host, they would then host a super regional. Seeds 9 through 16 get to host a regional, but, if they win that, they must travel to a top 8 seed for the super regional. All of this is contingent on the seeds winning their regionals, something that does not always happen. Maryland, for instance, is a No. 2 seed.
The Terps battled their way into the ACC Title game, and actually led that game after six innings, only to have Georgia Tech rally against the Maryland bullpen for a 9-4 win. Tech jumped on Jake Drossner, the Maryland starter, for two runs in the first inning. The Terps scored their first run in the bottom of the second when Blake Schmit hit his first home run of the season. Then Tech pushed their lead back to two runs with a single run in the top of the fourth. Maryland answered with a single run in their half of the fourth. Anthony Papio ripped a two out single to score the run, making it 3-2, Tech. Maryland struck for two more runs in the sixth to take their only lead of the game. First, the Terps loaded the bases with nobody out on a walk and two singles. Anthony Papio tied the game with another run-scoring single, and the bases remained loaded. The go-ahead run scored when Kevin Martir hit into a double play and Lewis scooted home as Tech went around the horn.
The lead did not last. The Yellow Jackets - which in winning earned the ACC's one automatic bid, something, as it turned out, the Jackets would not have gotten had Maryland won - tied the game with a single run in the top of the seventh. With the score now tied, Tech came up in the 8th inning and scored three runs on three hits and a huge Maryland throwing error committed by pitcher Kevin Mooney. The Yellowjackets scored two insurance runs in the ninth off of Ben Brewster.
Unlike Georgia Tech, Maryland was in the NCAA Tournament whether or not they won the Sunday game. Interestingly, the Selection Committee told ESPNU that North Carolina and Clemson were two of the last four teams in the tournament field, but none of the three snubbed ACC teams: North Carolina State, Duke and Wake Forest, were said to be among the first four out. What that means is that North Carolina and Georgia Tech needed to beat Maryland to get in the tournament and that is what both did. Maryland, on the other hand, not only got in the tournament as an at-large team, but were awarded a number two seed. That means that in the minds of the Selection Committee, they are among the top 32 teams in the USA. Try telling that to the Maryland fans who watched the selection show on ESPNU Monday afternoon. Maryland was one of the final teams announced as making the field. It was just wonderful. I was comforted in the knowledge that North Carolina was in, which should have guaranteed Maryland a berth since the Terps finished above the Tar Heels in the ACC Standings and in terms of their overall record. As it turned out, that was not a sure sign they were in, since Duke also had a better ACC record than did North Carolina, but they didn't get in. And Duke came within an eyelash of making the ACC Title Game Sunday. They lost in 12 innings to Miami Saturday afternoon. Had they won, they, and not Georgia Tech, would have played Maryland Sunday.
The way that the regional sets up raises some interesting strategy questions for Maryland Coach John Szefc. You must win at least three games, and maybe as many as five, to win the regional, which is played out over as many as four days beginning Friday. The easy strategy is to have the best pitcher you have available start each game. If Szefc follows that strategy - as he did in the ACC Tournament - Jake Stinnett would start against Old Dominion. If the Tournament follows form, and both Maryland and South Carolina win their opening game, they would play each other Saturday night, and the Terps would have Mike Shawaryn on the hill. If Maryland also wins that game, they would have Jake Drossner start the potential championship game Sunday night. That strategy worked in the ACC Tournament right up to the championship game.
But there is another strategy, and it has its risks. In this 'other' strategy, Maryland has Drossner start the first game against Old Dominion. If Maryland can beat Old Dominion with Drossner, they would have Stinnett available to face South Carolina on Saturday and, if they win, Mike Shawaryn available to face whoever emerges from the loser's bracket on Sunday night for the Championship.
One coach who followed this second strategy was North Carolina State Coach Elliott Avent. State barely qualified for the ACC Tournament and Avent knew that his only hope to gain entry to the NCAA Tournament was to win the ACC Tournament. To win the ACC, he had to first win a play-in game on Tuesday. But instead of starting his top pitcher, Carlos Rodon, whom many believe will be the overall #1 pick in the upcoming MLB Draft, Avent decided to try to win the play-in with a host of bullpen pitchers, saving his best starters for the powerful teams they would have to play if they could get by the play-in. It almost worked, but almost doesn't count. State lost the play-in the North Carolina, 4-3. If the same thing happened to Maryland - if Szefc started Drossner against Old Dominion and lost the game - Maryland would be dumped into the loser's bracket and have to win five games to win the regional. Maryland's bullpen did not perform well in the ACC tournament.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
In Virtually Meaningless Conclusion to Pool Play, UNC Fends Off Championship-Bound Maryland, 13-7; Terps to Play Georgia Teach in Title Game Sunday at 1 pm
BALTIMORE, Maryland May 24, 2014 - If someone would have told you on, say, last Monday that in today's ACC Tournament game against North Carolina, the Maryland Coach would use only the pitchers he does not expect to use in any future ACC Tournament or NCAA Tournament Game, while North Carolina would use their front-line pitchers, and despite this the game would be tied going into the 8th inning, you would have thought that person had been out in the sun way too long. And yet, that is exactly what happened. North Carolina finally jumped on that contingent of Maryland pitchers in the 8th inning to defeat the Terps Saturday in the final day of Pool Play. Maryland Coach John Szefc said afterwards that he was very impressed with his players and the way they played.
Szefc went on to say that he is sure his team is really ready for Sunday's showdown with Georgia Tech, a one-game winner-take-all ACC Championship (1 pm, ESPN2). If Maryland can win, it will be their first-ever ACC Tournament Championship - in their final year in the conference - and will gain them the conference's only automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, starting next weekend. If Maryland loses, it will have to wait for Monday's announcement of the Tournament Field to determine who they will play and where. I'm leaving out the if because Maryland's performance in this Tournament has erased any lingering doubt as to whether they will get their first NCAA berth since 1971. For the record, Maryland last played in the ACC Tournament Championship Game in 1976.
For approximately the last month, Terp Coach John Szefc has whittled his pitching staff into two groups: the ones he will use in the ACC Tournament and the ones he does not plan to use. Every baseball coach with any high stakes end-of-the-season games on tap does the same thing. Maryland has two big game starters, and when we use the term "big game" we mean it in more than one way. In Jake Stinnett and Mike Shawaryn, Szefc has two hurlers he can throw in any game he feels he has to win. There isn't a team in the country who wouldn't want these two at the top of their pitching staffs. In fact, Szefc has to be in seventh heavan just to have two of these guys at the same time. They are not only pitchers that a coach would want to start in an important game, they are pitchers who are in their prime in the big game pressure pot. Both Stinnett and Shawaryn were in command throughout their performances in this tournament. They are great pitchers who shine when the chips are down. And because he has those two, Szefc makes every decision on pitching around them. I'm not privy to his thinking, and I don't know if he considers either of them available for tomorrow's title game. Stinnett would be the most likely since he last pitched Thursday in the late morning and early afternoon in Maryland's opening win over powerful Virginia. If you take the number of hours from when he finished Thursday until he would start Sunday, it would look like almost three days to the minute. That's not perfect, but it's not bad either. And since all starters throw regularly in between starts, Stinnett should at least be available on Sunday for a few innings. In fact, Szefc may have previewed what Stinnett is capable of when Marylan concluded their regular season against West Virginia on May 13. That game was played on a Tuesday after Stinnett pitched on Friday night against Pittsburgh. Szefc used him as his closer that day. He had three and one-half days of rest when he came in against the Mountaineers and struck out all three hitters he faced. Look for Stinnett in Sunday's game. Whether Szefc ramps it up and starts him is another issue. I really think he would like to have the senior available late in the game. Shawaryn, who pitched Friday, would have almost two days to the minute of rest, and he is a big man. But he is also a freshman. Unless there is some single hitter Szefc has in mind, I don't think Shawaryn will be used. The rest of the front line pitchers include the Terps No. 3 Starter, Jake Drossner. A Sophmore Southpaw, Drossner's numbers are excellant. In 11 pitching appearances, 10 of them starts, Drossner is 4-1, with an ERA of 2.18. In 53 and two-thirds innings he has given up only 45 hits while striking out 53 opponent hitters. If there is a bit of a caution on Drossner it is his overall lack of endurance. It is reflected in the fact that he has only half as many decisions as starts. Starters, of course, by rule must last five winnings to get a win. However on Sunday in the one game for all the marbles situation, all hands will be on deck, meaning everybody will be available. If Drossner can go five solid innings, Maryland should be able to cover the other innings. Drossner started against Georgia Tech about one month ago in College Park. His line for the game doesn't look at all good: six innings, eight hits, six runs. But it would be about the most misleading line of the season. Tech got three runs in the third inning on an assortment of seeing eye singles, including an infield hit that somehow drove in two of the runs. Drossner started the inning by allowing the first three batters to reach on two singles and a walk. The fourth hitter then singled to drive in one run. Then the Maryland hurler got Tech's Daniel Spingola to pop out, and then he struck out the Yellowjackets' no. 3 hitter, Matt Gonzalez. The next hitter, Tech's Thomas Smith, hit a ground ball toward second base that turned into an infield hit, with two runs scoring. The other three runs scored in the sixth inning, Drossner's final inning of work. On a day when he threw 106 pitches, two men reached base in that sixth inning on two Maryland errors. Then Drossner made a mistake and gave up a three run homer by the Georgia Tech catcher, Arden Pabst, the 8th hitter in the order.
After Drossner, Maryland and Szefc rely on Ben Brewster, the tall side-arming left hander who is, really, a specialist the Terps use to get out tough left-handed hitters. Along with Brewster is Bobby Ruse. Like the other pitchers Szefc uses in big games, Ruse has great numbers: coming into the tournament he was 7-2 with an ERA of 2.82. In 54 and one-third innings, spread over 26 appearances, Ruse had surrendered only 40 hits. The down side to Ruse is that there are games when he just doesn't have it. One of those games was Friday's win over Florida State, when the Seminoles shelled him for two hits and two runs in an outing in which he could not get anybody out. Normally with a guy like Ruse you say if he doesn't have it, get him out of there. But in a game like Friday, when he entered the game in the eighth inning with one man on and nobody out, then proceeded to give up two straight hits before Szefc could get him out of the game, too much damage can be done in too short a period of time. The other pitcher that will see action, if not Sunday then certainly in the NCAA tournament, is Maryland's closer, Kevin Mooney. Mooney has come up big in this tournament, but it wasn't without its nail-biting moments. Against Virginia, Szefc summonsed him to start the ninth with Marland up by three runs. He proceeded to walk the first hitter and give up a home run to the second. He then walked the next hitter, before pulling himself together to get the next three men in order. But the second out was a screaming line drive headed for the left center field power alley. Then, in a flash, Terp Shortstop Blake Schmit launched himself skyward and snatched the line drive out of the air with an outstretched glove at the very top of his leap. Things were far better on Friday, when Szefc had to go to him with nobody out, two runs in and two men on. In that acid test for a closer, Mooney proceeded to strike out the first batter he faced, then, after throwing a wild pitch which allowed FSU's third run to score, and walking a hitter, he struck out the next two to get Maryland out of the inning still two runs ahead. In the ninth, he retired the Seminoles in one-two-three order. Going into the tournament Mooney had a 1-1 record with ten saves and a 3.52 ERA. In 30 and two-thirds innings he had given up only 26 hits while striking out a breath-taking 42 hitters. Of course he now has 12 saves after notching two more in this tournament.
None of these pitchers saw action today when North Carolina scored 13 runs. Szefc did use the same starting line-up he has used in the other two games of the tournament, although he did get both Mike Montville and Kyle Convissar one at bat each. Six different Terps were credited with runs batted in for the game and hot-hitting Kevin Martir had two, both of them on his fourth home run of the season in the third inning. Trailing 7-2 entering the seventh inning, the Terps scored five times to tie the score. Three of the runs scored on two-out hits.
ACC Championship Game on Sunday featuring Maryland. Who'd of thunk it?
Szefc went on to say that he is sure his team is really ready for Sunday's showdown with Georgia Tech, a one-game winner-take-all ACC Championship (1 pm, ESPN2). If Maryland can win, it will be their first-ever ACC Tournament Championship - in their final year in the conference - and will gain them the conference's only automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, starting next weekend. If Maryland loses, it will have to wait for Monday's announcement of the Tournament Field to determine who they will play and where. I'm leaving out the if because Maryland's performance in this Tournament has erased any lingering doubt as to whether they will get their first NCAA berth since 1971. For the record, Maryland last played in the ACC Tournament Championship Game in 1976.
For approximately the last month, Terp Coach John Szefc has whittled his pitching staff into two groups: the ones he will use in the ACC Tournament and the ones he does not plan to use. Every baseball coach with any high stakes end-of-the-season games on tap does the same thing. Maryland has two big game starters, and when we use the term "big game" we mean it in more than one way. In Jake Stinnett and Mike Shawaryn, Szefc has two hurlers he can throw in any game he feels he has to win. There isn't a team in the country who wouldn't want these two at the top of their pitching staffs. In fact, Szefc has to be in seventh heavan just to have two of these guys at the same time. They are not only pitchers that a coach would want to start in an important game, they are pitchers who are in their prime in the big game pressure pot. Both Stinnett and Shawaryn were in command throughout their performances in this tournament. They are great pitchers who shine when the chips are down. And because he has those two, Szefc makes every decision on pitching around them. I'm not privy to his thinking, and I don't know if he considers either of them available for tomorrow's title game. Stinnett would be the most likely since he last pitched Thursday in the late morning and early afternoon in Maryland's opening win over powerful Virginia. If you take the number of hours from when he finished Thursday until he would start Sunday, it would look like almost three days to the minute. That's not perfect, but it's not bad either. And since all starters throw regularly in between starts, Stinnett should at least be available on Sunday for a few innings. In fact, Szefc may have previewed what Stinnett is capable of when Marylan concluded their regular season against West Virginia on May 13. That game was played on a Tuesday after Stinnett pitched on Friday night against Pittsburgh. Szefc used him as his closer that day. He had three and one-half days of rest when he came in against the Mountaineers and struck out all three hitters he faced. Look for Stinnett in Sunday's game. Whether Szefc ramps it up and starts him is another issue. I really think he would like to have the senior available late in the game. Shawaryn, who pitched Friday, would have almost two days to the minute of rest, and he is a big man. But he is also a freshman. Unless there is some single hitter Szefc has in mind, I don't think Shawaryn will be used. The rest of the front line pitchers include the Terps No. 3 Starter, Jake Drossner. A Sophmore Southpaw, Drossner's numbers are excellant. In 11 pitching appearances, 10 of them starts, Drossner is 4-1, with an ERA of 2.18. In 53 and two-thirds innings he has given up only 45 hits while striking out 53 opponent hitters. If there is a bit of a caution on Drossner it is his overall lack of endurance. It is reflected in the fact that he has only half as many decisions as starts. Starters, of course, by rule must last five winnings to get a win. However on Sunday in the one game for all the marbles situation, all hands will be on deck, meaning everybody will be available. If Drossner can go five solid innings, Maryland should be able to cover the other innings. Drossner started against Georgia Tech about one month ago in College Park. His line for the game doesn't look at all good: six innings, eight hits, six runs. But it would be about the most misleading line of the season. Tech got three runs in the third inning on an assortment of seeing eye singles, including an infield hit that somehow drove in two of the runs. Drossner started the inning by allowing the first three batters to reach on two singles and a walk. The fourth hitter then singled to drive in one run. Then the Maryland hurler got Tech's Daniel Spingola to pop out, and then he struck out the Yellowjackets' no. 3 hitter, Matt Gonzalez. The next hitter, Tech's Thomas Smith, hit a ground ball toward second base that turned into an infield hit, with two runs scoring. The other three runs scored in the sixth inning, Drossner's final inning of work. On a day when he threw 106 pitches, two men reached base in that sixth inning on two Maryland errors. Then Drossner made a mistake and gave up a three run homer by the Georgia Tech catcher, Arden Pabst, the 8th hitter in the order.
After Drossner, Maryland and Szefc rely on Ben Brewster, the tall side-arming left hander who is, really, a specialist the Terps use to get out tough left-handed hitters. Along with Brewster is Bobby Ruse. Like the other pitchers Szefc uses in big games, Ruse has great numbers: coming into the tournament he was 7-2 with an ERA of 2.82. In 54 and one-third innings, spread over 26 appearances, Ruse had surrendered only 40 hits. The down side to Ruse is that there are games when he just doesn't have it. One of those games was Friday's win over Florida State, when the Seminoles shelled him for two hits and two runs in an outing in which he could not get anybody out. Normally with a guy like Ruse you say if he doesn't have it, get him out of there. But in a game like Friday, when he entered the game in the eighth inning with one man on and nobody out, then proceeded to give up two straight hits before Szefc could get him out of the game, too much damage can be done in too short a period of time. The other pitcher that will see action, if not Sunday then certainly in the NCAA tournament, is Maryland's closer, Kevin Mooney. Mooney has come up big in this tournament, but it wasn't without its nail-biting moments. Against Virginia, Szefc summonsed him to start the ninth with Marland up by three runs. He proceeded to walk the first hitter and give up a home run to the second. He then walked the next hitter, before pulling himself together to get the next three men in order. But the second out was a screaming line drive headed for the left center field power alley. Then, in a flash, Terp Shortstop Blake Schmit launched himself skyward and snatched the line drive out of the air with an outstretched glove at the very top of his leap. Things were far better on Friday, when Szefc had to go to him with nobody out, two runs in and two men on. In that acid test for a closer, Mooney proceeded to strike out the first batter he faced, then, after throwing a wild pitch which allowed FSU's third run to score, and walking a hitter, he struck out the next two to get Maryland out of the inning still two runs ahead. In the ninth, he retired the Seminoles in one-two-three order. Going into the tournament Mooney had a 1-1 record with ten saves and a 3.52 ERA. In 30 and two-thirds innings he had given up only 26 hits while striking out a breath-taking 42 hitters. Of course he now has 12 saves after notching two more in this tournament.
None of these pitchers saw action today when North Carolina scored 13 runs. Szefc did use the same starting line-up he has used in the other two games of the tournament, although he did get both Mike Montville and Kyle Convissar one at bat each. Six different Terps were credited with runs batted in for the game and hot-hitting Kevin Martir had two, both of them on his fourth home run of the season in the third inning. Trailing 7-2 entering the seventh inning, the Terps scored five times to tie the score. Three of the runs scored on two-out hits.
ACC Championship Game on Sunday featuring Maryland. Who'd of thunk it?
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