Late on Sunday afternoon, the clouds finally parted over Plumeri Park and basked the Tribe baseball team in the glow of their recent accomplishments, a 7-4 victory over the Old Dominion Monarchs. Sunday’s victory gave the Tribe a season sweep over the Monarchs, their first since the 2003 season.
“It feels great,” said Tribe Head Coach Frank Leoni. “I think we played pretty well all weekend. We did what we needed to do. I think that ODU maybe had an off weekend…but it definitely feels good. We’re not giving any of the wins back.”
The Tribe was led by starter Tim Norton (’11) who went eight innings and only allowing three runs on six hits. By going eight innings, Norton was able to provide relief for the Tribe’s weary bullpen, who saw heavy action in the first two games of the series.
“My arm was hurting. It was pretty sore in the first couple of innings,” said Norton. “But I got through it and it felt better as the game went on.”
“He pitched real well. That was the best pitching performance we had all weekend, especially after the gutsy one we had from Pete Vernon on Friday,” said Leoni. “He did a great job. He’s a great competitor.”
Norton was helped by his team’s offensive production as the Tribe batters put runs on the scoreboard in all but three innings. Center fielder Ben Guez’ (’09) first inning solo homerun, his first on the season, gave the Tribe an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Designated hitter Robbie Nickle (’09) also homered, a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth, his seventh on the season. Nickle and right fielder Jeff Jones (’09) were the only Tribe players to have multi-hit days as Nickle went 2-4 and Jones went 2-3.
Jones, a career .200 hitter coming into this season, hit .500 in the weekend series, raising his average to .433 on the season. He is currently third on the team in average, behind first baseman Mike Sheridan (’09) and catcher Tim Park (’08).
“I put in a lot of time this offseason,” said Jones. “I’ve worked with a bunch of guys that have helped me on my swing and I’m more confident at the plate. I’m seeing the ball pretty well right now.”
The weather Sunday was markedly different from the previous two games in the series. A Saturday night rainstorm left the ground spongy and dull, and a strong wind blowing in from left field forced the players into sleeves for the first time in the series.
“The playing conditions were totally different so it’s not as easy on the hitters today as it has been,” said Leoni. “The last two days it’s been a little warmer and the winds blowing in today as opposed to blowing out.”
Norton used the conditions to his advantage as he forced the Old Dominion batters to put the ball in play. Of the 25 outs that Norton recorded, only five were strikeouts, which forced him to trust his defense behind him.
“Mike is probably the best first baseman I’ve ever played with. He pretty much scoops everything and does a good job. The infield’s great too. Tyler Stampone at third base has made almost every single play when I’ve pitched,” said Norton.
Stampone had perhaps the game’s prettiest play in the top of the eighth inning. With one out and a runner on second, Monarchs’ catcher Edgar Hernandez hit a sharp one-hopper to Stampone’s glove side. Stampone made a diving stop of the ground ball and threw across the diamond to beat Hernandez’ headfirst slide into first base.
In Saturday’s matchup against Old Dominion, Guez played the hero role. Guez went 3-5 and drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning with a line drive into right field, giving the Tribe a 13-12 victory.
Guez single ended a wild game that saw two catcher interference calls, a batter called back to home plate for attempting to be hit by a pitch and 20 Tribe players seeing action on the day.
“[Saturday’s game] proved we can persevere through some really unusual and crazy circumstances and just not quit and find a way to win a game. That’s what we did,” said Leoni.
As the sunlight dimmed over Plumeri Park in the bottom of the sixth inning, the ballgame took a turn for the unusual and unexpected. With the Tribe down 7-5 and the bases loaded, third baseman Tyler Stampone (’09) was hit by a pitch on his left shoulder. Stampone took off down the first baseline but was called back by home plate umpire Steve Sanders.
“I was leaning in a little,” said Stampone. “The pitch was still a ball, but I was trying to do whatever I could to help the team in that situation. But I still wanted to hit, so I didn’t hesitate coming back.”
Stampone lined the next pitch up the middle into center field, driving in two runs and equaling the score at seven. The tie would soon be broken as Monarchs pitcher Anthony Shawler deposited a 0-1 fastball from Tribe reliever Cole Franklin over the left field fence. Shawler’s homer was his second of the contest and gave the Monarchs an 8-7 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Tribe second baseman James Williamson (’09) reached on an error. He was followed by Stampone, who bunted the first pitch he saw down the third baseline for a single. Guez followed with a double, which scored Stampone and Williamson and gave the Tribe an 8-7 lead.
“All weekend once they got ahead, they would come with a fastball then they’d try to sneak in a slider,” said Guez. “I fell victim to it earlier in the game, but I knew he was coming with a slider… and I just sat on it and fortunately I got the barrel out and good things happened.”
After an RBI single by Sheridan, the Tribe entered the top of the ninth with a 10-8 lead. However, the top of the ninth saw a dropped third strike where the batter reached base, a hit by pitch and a catcher’s interference call, all of which combined to give the Monarchs a 12-8 lead going into the bottom half of the inning.
Nickle led off the inning with a single to left field, continuing an impressive offensive day in which he went 3-5 with a homerun. Left fielder Greg Maliniak (’08) followed with a single and center fielder Jeff Jones (’09), pinch hitting for shortstop Lanny Stanfield (’09), was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Two walks and a fielder’s choice later, the stage was set for Guez’ late game heroics with his line drive single.
The Tribe is currently on a four-game winning streak heading into Tuesday’s game against Leoni’s alma matter, the University of Rhode Island. The game is home at Plumeri Park, and opening pitch will be at 5:00 p.m.
“I told the guys this game coming up on Tuesday I’m going to treat just like any other game and so should they. I’m looking for us to come out and be consistent with what we do in our approach,” said Leoni.