From March 2 to 4, Sinclair baseball competed in the USA Kickoff Classic in Millington,Tenn. The Tartan Pride took three of five games during the trip that head coach Steve Dintaman said was “a growing process.”
“Overall I think the trip was pretty positive,” Dintaman said. “You’re playing against some of the best teams in the country, some big time programs, [some] fully funded teams, and we competed well.”
The first game was against Carl Sandburg College’s Chargers, in which the Tartan pride flexed their muscles after a rough start to obtain the first win of the trip 15-10. Ian Creager got the win for the Pride after 6 innings of one run baseball, where he struck out 12 Chargers.
The second game wasn’t as positive for the Pride, who lost the game against the 20th ranked Iowa Central Community College Tritons 8-4.
Game three produced another win for Dintaman’s squad taking the contest 6-0 vs. Muscatine Community College. The game was highlighted by the pitching performance of freshman pitcher Stephen Holland. He threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings with 9 strikeouts.
The fourth game against Southeastern Community College proved to be the hardest task for the Pride. The final score of the game was Southeastern 12, Sinclair 1. The Pride found themselves down 6-0 after two innings of play.
“We made too many mistakes early, and they took advantage of them,” Dintaman said.
The fifth and final game of the trip was against Lackawanna College, the 13th ranked team in the nation. The task was large but the game went in Sinclair’s favor. The win was sparked by what Dintaman said was a thrilling 8th inning. Final score of the contest was Sinclair 4, Lackawanna 3.
The biggest obstacle facing Sinclair during the trip, was dealing with a slew of injuries to starting position players. Dintaman said it took a complete team effort in all of the games with some reserve players making some key plays in crunch time.
“We had four of our starters go down,” Dintaman said. “We had pitchers running bases and we were subbing guys in and out. But we found a way to win off some nice hits and some nice execution.”
Sinclair left the volunteer state with a record of 6-2 on the year, with Dintaman and his team excited to get back on home ground.
“We know what we’re capable of doing again, playing against some of the top teams and competing very well and winning some of the games,” Dintaman said. “We need to get healthy now and stay focused.
Dintaman hopes to get his injured players back before conference play begins, giving them their best chance at repeating for the fourth straight time as Ohio Community College Athletic Conference champions.
- Wed. May 15th, 2024