Spring Break
Pitching effective despite close loss
Chris Brodeur
Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Sports
Boston College sent seven different pitchers to the mound in yesterday's non-conference clash with UConn, never giving the Huskies more than two innings or 36 pitches to settle in against any one of them.
While UConn's approach was more conventional, with starter Matt McDonald handing the game over to reliever Dusty Odenbach to start the eighth and senior closer David Erickson taking the ball for the ninth, the Huskies were unable to hold on for the win as the Eagles plated a pair of runs in the final frame.
It's a formula coach Jim Penders has touted all season as one of his team's selling points - the ability of UConn's starters to pitch deep into ballgames, and an effective relief corps to finish them - and he won't stray from it after Erickson's mishap yesterday.
"Matty McDonald pitched a great game, he was awesome today," Penders said. "I couldn't have asked for anything better from him or Dusty and David Erickson - sometimes that goes along with being a closer, sometimes the luck doesn't go your way but he's our man, he'll be back out there Friday if we have a game to close."
McDonald turned in a stellar performance, leaving the game with a shot at his third victory, and recording a season-high eight strikeouts. His only trouble came when Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez was at the plate. Sanchez broke up McDonald's shutout in the fourth inning, lifting a fly ball just out of the reach of leftfielder Peter Fatse for a two-run homer. He ripped another one of McDonald's offerings for a long solo homerun in the top of the sixth, pulling the Eagles to within one at 4-3. Penders pointed to the senior's command of the full complement of his pitches as the key to his success.
"He had all of his stuff working," Penders said. "He was downhill with his fastball, he's hitting his spots, he was down in the zone, flipping his breaking ball when he had to, also had a good changeup to the lefties too."
Odenbach pitched out of a jam in the eighth, stranding a pair of Boston College runners with a swinging strikeout of third baseman Mickey Wiswall to end the frame after starting him off with three straight balls. He now has 26 punchouts in 16.2 innings pitched on the year, making him Penders' go-to set-up option.
While UConn's approach was more conventional, with starter Matt McDonald handing the game over to reliever Dusty Odenbach to start the eighth and senior closer David Erickson taking the ball for the ninth, the Huskies were unable to hold on for the win as the Eagles plated a pair of runs in the final frame.
It's a formula coach Jim Penders has touted all season as one of his team's selling points - the ability of UConn's starters to pitch deep into ballgames, and an effective relief corps to finish them - and he won't stray from it after Erickson's mishap yesterday.
"Matty McDonald pitched a great game, he was awesome today," Penders said. "I couldn't have asked for anything better from him or Dusty and David Erickson - sometimes that goes along with being a closer, sometimes the luck doesn't go your way but he's our man, he'll be back out there Friday if we have a game to close."
McDonald turned in a stellar performance, leaving the game with a shot at his third victory, and recording a season-high eight strikeouts. His only trouble came when Boston College catcher Tony Sanchez was at the plate. Sanchez broke up McDonald's shutout in the fourth inning, lifting a fly ball just out of the reach of leftfielder Peter Fatse for a two-run homer. He ripped another one of McDonald's offerings for a long solo homerun in the top of the sixth, pulling the Eagles to within one at 4-3. Penders pointed to the senior's command of the full complement of his pitches as the key to his success.
"He had all of his stuff working," Penders said. "He was downhill with his fastball, he's hitting his spots, he was down in the zone, flipping his breaking ball when he had to, also had a good changeup to the lefties too."
Odenbach pitched out of a jam in the eighth, stranding a pair of Boston College runners with a swinging strikeout of third baseman Mickey Wiswall to end the frame after starting him off with three straight balls. He now has 26 punchouts in 16.2 innings pitched on the year, making him Penders' go-to set-up option.
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