Vets one win from D-II semis

Brenton Bauerle
Posted 6/3/14

Many have heard the old adage that patience is a virtue. For the Warwick Vets baseball team on Saturday, patience was more than just a virtue – it was an avenue to victory.

No. 5 Vets (12-4) …

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Vets one win from D-II semis

Posted

Many have heard the old adage that patience is a virtue. For the Warwick Vets baseball team on Saturday, patience was more than just a virtue – it was an avenue to victory.

No. 5 Vets (12-4) matched up against a fourth-seeded Classical (12-4) squad with whom it split two games in the regular season in the winner’s bracket final of the double-elimination regional tournament. Right from the first pitch, however, Vets played with a poise that belied its lower seed.

The end result was a 7-2 ’Canes victory, putting Vets one win away from the Division II Final Four. In its first game of the postseason on Thursday, Vets defeated West Warwick 2-1 behind a complete-game two-hitter from ace Dan Greaves.

Against Classical though, the game wasn’t nearly as close, as the Vets hitters constantly worked deep into counts and laid off pitches outside the zone, treading what would soon become a beaten path down to first base by taking walks and swinging at pitches to hit. And though they were unable to capitalize early, stranding three runners on base in the opening two innings, they refused to shy away from their disciplined approach.

“We always preach at the at-bats, don’t beat yourself,” said Vets head coach Nolan Landy. “Don’t help the pitcher out [by swinging at pitches outside the zone].”

Vets’ early inability to knock in base runners was mitigated by the dominant outing submitted by their starter, Shane Kittila. While he and his teammates were unable to score through the first three innings, Kittila kept Classical’s lineup at bay with a strong display, limiting the opposition to just one hit in the first three innings while striking out five.

Vets was finally able to break through in the fourth inning thanks once again to a tight control of the strike zone. With Classical starter Zachary Odsen having to labor through the first three innings, he seemed to tire and finally give in to the Vets hitters, who scored three runs in the fourth thanks to a two-run double by junior Adam Dorsey and an RBI single by junior Jesse Holland.

Classical responded in the fifth by scoring two runs of the unearned variety off of Kittila, who seemed to struggle with his command after a somewhat lengthy reprieve between innings. Despite the tough inning, however, Landy was confident in his starter’s ability to get the job done.

“His pitch count was low, and I liked what I saw out of him, so I was confident staying with him,” Landy said.

Vets quickly put any tension to bed after Classical’s two-run inning. The ’Canes scored a run of their own in the fifth and tacked on three more in the sixth to gain a commanding 7-2 lead that would be the final score.

With the win, the ’Canes took the lead in their season series with Classical and, more importantly, are just one win away from the Division II semifinals. And with their complement of excellent starting pitching and patience at the plate, Landy thought that his team just had to stay the course in their hunt for an elusive state championship.

“We have to keep doing what we’re doing,” Landy said. “We’re going to keep playing aggressive baseball and attacking the other team, and we’ll see what happens.”

If Warwick Vets keeps doing what it did on Saturday, its trademark patience might just pay off in a big way. Vets’ next game is Wednesday at home at 4 p.m. against either Tolman or Classical. The ’Canes need to win only more time to advance out of the regional, while they would have to lose twice to be eliminated. If they lose on Wednesday, they would play an elimination game on Thursday on the road.

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