Sports

Hitting gives baseball much needed win

Fri, 09 May 2008 02:03:00 -0500

With chances for a .500 season long gone, baseball’s top priority of late has been finding a way to supplement solid hitting with crisper fieldwork and more consistent pitching. After going 1–3 over the weekend across a pair of rough doubleheaders, the Maroons sorely needed a decisive victory to get their heads back in the game.

Hitting early and often, Chicago (10–17) topped North Central (14–23) for the second time this season, riding a 12-hit performance to end the Cardinals’ 2008 campaign with an 8–6 victory Tuesday in Naperville. Third-year catcher and UAA Athlete of the Week Scott Hofer carried a particularly hot bat throughout the matchup, collecting three RBI on as many hits, while fourth-year center fielder Mike Morgan contributed his first career home run to help lead the charge for the Maroons.

“Our offense has definitely come around in the last week or so,” Morgan said. “It seems like everyone who struggled earlier on is now producing in key situations.”

While they opened up the scoring in the first on a sac-fly by second-year shortstop Rob Serpico, the South Siders had to put up a fight to regain the lead after North Central pulled out some early runs. In the bottom of the first, the Cardinals singled home two runners to make it a 2–1 ballgame. After the Maroons tied it at two runs apiece in the third with an RBI double by Hofer, North Central took advantage of some shaky pitching by second-year hurler Alex Garbier (1–1, 7.50 ERA), who walked home second-year first baseman Adam Dobrez to score an unearned run.

Refusing to go down without a fight, the Maroons tied things up once again in the fourth on Morgan’s solo blast, which not only served as a great career cap-off for the graduating fourth-year but also as a turning point of sorts in the game. Chicago would lead for the rest of the outing, getting their act together on the mound and in the box, where they scored four runs over the following two frames.

“I think the key is finding a comfort zone,” Morgan said. “Earlier in the year, everyone seemed to press a bit because the hits just weren’t falling. Now that we’re hitting, we’re adopting a more confident approach, and that goes a long way toward having success at the plate.”

In the fifth, Hofer doubled home fourth-year third baseman Mike Serio, knocking the Cardinals starter, fourth-year righty Justin Rezzuto (2–2, 4.62), out of the game. Second-year righty reliever Joseph Gaza’s life was short-lived, however, as fourth-year right fielder Nate Ginsberg, first-year left fielder Zachary Osman, and third-year DH Travis Blane pounded him for two more runs, sending him back to the dugout. Fourth-year lefty Erik Hudson retired Morgan to end the inning, but the damage had been done. Serio scored once again in the sixth after reaching on an error. After a passed ball got him over to second, Hofer rocketed another double to bring him home, making the score 7–3 Chicago and belting his tenth RBI over the past eight games.

After surrendering three runs—two earned—over the first four innings, Garbier was relieved in the fifth by first-year righty Marshall Oium, who gave up just one run on three hits over the next four frames to earn his first career victory. A single sac-fly RBI was all the Cardinals could muster against Oium after putting men on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the sixth.

“He threw well against North Central,” Serio said. “He threw strikes early, which is a big thing for him or any pitcher. I remembered him getting ahead early and not walking too many people.”

Oium’s dominance on the mound would keep things silent for the next few innings. After Morgan singled Ginsberg home in the top of the ninth, third-year righty Alex Gallan (1–4, 5.70) hopped on board to close things out for the Maroons, who boasted a four-run lead going into the game’s last frame. Gallan allowed a double to left center by first-year left fielder Steve Hlavac to bring home two runs. Now just a two-run game, second-year third baseman Nick Robinson popped up to the shortstop to strand Hlavac, sealing the Cardinals’ fate.

Despite the strong outing, it still marked just the fourth win in fifteen games for the Maroons, as a late season slump marred a promising 4–2 start over spring break. The squad now faces its first losing season since 1999.

“A lot of us wished that we had about seven or eight games left so we could finish up strong,” Serio said.

Just one contest remains for the Maroons in what has turned into a grueling 2008 campaign. Chicago will visit IIT (11–22) Friday afternoon for its season finale. Looking to put hardships behind them, the Maroons are hoping to send off the many talented fourth-years on the squad with a conclusive win.

“It would be a great way to finish the season on a positive note,” Morgan said. “I know the seniors are going to enjoy playing with each other for one last time.”

A four-year starter, Cartwright was confident anchor of stalwart defense

Fri, 09 May 2008 02:00:00 -0500

Although the sport of soccer is celebrated for its combination of skill and athleticism, it is driven just as heavily by the intangibles of intelligence and instinct. It’s in this latter category that fourth-year Jonathon Cartwright excelled.

Cartwright knew he wanted to wear maroon and white after meeting former Chicago head coach John O’Connor at a Notre Dame soccer camp. Originally, he didn’t expect to play much in his first year, but O’Connor had other ideas.

“My impressions and expectations of Jon was that he would make an impact on our program from the get-go,” O’Connor said. “He fit in very well and was a starter from day one.”

In O’Connor’s lineup, Cartwright’s speed and technical skill made him a staple at the right fullback position, and his steady presence defined his role as an on-field general, even as an underclassman.

“His ability to lead, first by example and then through his knowledge of the game, came through in the trust his teammates had in him whenever they stepped on the field,” O’Connor said.

After the 2005 season, O’Connor left to take up the head coaching position at the University of Rhode Island. The transition from O’Connor to new head coach Scott Wiercinski was demanding, but Cartwright’s talent and work ethic proved to be a pivotal cornerstone for a young, rebuilding team.

“He was a guy we could count on from day one,” Wiercinski said. “We knew what we were going to get from him, in terms of being consistent, in terms of being reliable, in terms of putting forth a great effort and being a very dedicated player. From a coaching perspective, it was the ideal raw material to work with.”

For Cartwright, the adjustment period solidified his role in the backfield.

“I definitely evolved from being a standoffish young player who followed orders to someone who is less technically oriented and more tactical—giving advice to younger players on how to position themselves and when to do things and when not to,” he said.

“He did more talking and coercing and that type of leadership, which pays a little more in the dividend column,” Wiercinski adds. “He was a consistent, reliable player on a day-to-day basis. It earns you respect and the credibility—to do all of those things without forcing any of it.”

With the loss of key players from the prior season, Cartwright was forced to play out of position. Moving to central defense was not only a test of his adaptability as a defensive player but also an exercise in determination—determination to improve his game and determination to win. In 2006, Cartwright established himself as a recognizable leader on the pitch, anchoring Chicago’s back five to an impressive 0.80 GAA and a second consecutive postseason appearance.

But numbers and statistics can’t sum up the significance of Cartwright’s career. His name doesn’t show up in any of the program’s record books, and he’s not a career or season leader in any named category—he has all of three assists to his name.

His importance can only be expressed in the broadest of terms. His fluency emerges from his ability to read the game. His longevity is a result of his enduring fitness, which ensured that he has only missed two games his entire career. His love of the game resides in all the stories and anecdotes he’s collected about his time as a Maroon.

His playing style, which Wiercinski described as “sometimes a little unorthodox,” became his trademark, necessity paving the way for invention every time Cartwright juked around an opposing player in order to put the ball into play instead of hoofing the clearance as far as possible.

Cartwright put together so many complete performances over his four-year career that picking out just one defining game would be inadequate, but his last game at Stagg Field was one to remember. Sometime during the 110-minute encounter, the game became about more than just the season closer and the rivalry with Wash U. The result seemed to hinge on Cartwright’s—and by extension, the Maroons’—mission to keep the ball out of the Chicago net. The match ended 0–0, and Cartwright’s career ended with a clean sheet.

Although he would never claim any personal credit for the complete team effort put forth that day, Cartwright does take pride in certain aspects of his game—his strength lies in his patience, and he enjoys forcing his opponent to make the first move.

“Confidence is a big thing,” he said. “Whenever I’ve gotten beaten, it’s because I feel like guys are better than me, but if you go in thinking, ‘There’s no way you’re getting around me with the ball,’ most of the time, they don’t.”

Confidence, though certainly an intangible, nevertheless materialized in Cartwright’s game, taking shape not only in the form of his coaches’ faith and his teammates’ trust but in every single time he placed his body between his opponent and the goal.

A fixture behind home plate, Pineros set offensive pace

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:58:00 -0500

As a lefty catcher, fourth-year Vanessa Pineros drew attention the minute she stepped behind the plate. What really set her apart within the Maroons, though, wasn’t which hand she wore her glove on but her confidence as a player and her leadership ability.

With a long softball career that goes back to tee ball and travel teams by the time she was 14, Pineros has made the walk from the dugout to the diamond hundreds of times, but her walk has usually been a short one. The
Mukilteo, WA, native had a brief stint at shortstop in middle school before parents talked to the coach, who moved her behind the plate to catch full time, trading one unconventional left-handed position on the infield for another one.

“I was traumatized,” Pineros said. “I was like, ‘I can’t believe these parents are bringing their own agenda in here.’”

Despite the abnormality of her switch, Pineros hasn’t run into many problems hanging onto her catcher’s gear. If the Maroons’ pitching or coaching staff thought that there was anything odd about it, they quickly adjusted.

“We had a pitcher who worked with Vanessa an entire year and didn’t even notice that she was left handed,” head coach Ruth Kmak said.

Over the past four years, Pineros has gotten to know her battery mates so well that this season she got handed the stat sheets a few times to call pitches from the dugout for absent assistant coach Kelly Ostler. Although she found the task a bit nerve-wracking at first, Pineros soon relished the job and realized that she had the knowledge to call the same game that Ostler would.

Her confidence in filling in for Ostler is one example of the chief characteristics that distinguish Pineros on the team and show how she has developed the most as a player. Joining the squad as one of three first-years in her rookie season, Pineros felt the pressure to earn her way onto the field.

Getting 17 starts out of 35 games in 2005, she batted .171 for the spring and collected one RBI.

“I didn’t step out there, I didn’t take the risk that was necessary,” Pineros said. “I realized that it was ridiculous because I knew from before that I was a good hitter, I was a good catcher. It took a total change in my mental game to get me where I got myself my junior year.”

With her newfound aggression at the plate, Pineros went from the bottom of Chicago’s offense to swinging its hottest bat in just one season. In 2006, she led the squad with a .329 average and a .390 slugging percentage.

Last season, Pineros upped the ante. She figured prominently on a team that transformed into a power lineup overnight, turning in her best season as the Maroons doubled their run production from 2006 and secured their second consecutive trip to NCAAs.

Topping the charts in most offensive categories, Pineros set the standard in 2007 for batting average (.427), on-base percentage (.511), RBI (22), doubles (10), and walks (19). She also roped a triple and two homeruns and contributed the team’s second-highest slugging percentage of .581.

“All I needed was to look the pitcher in the eye and say, ‘I’m about to hit this ball. I feel bad for you because you can’t throw one by me.’ That’s kind of a weird attitude to talk about, but that’s what you need in your head,” Pineros said.

That kind of mentality was more than just talk before stepping into the batter’s box. Pineros more often than not made contact, striking out 11 times in 324 at bats since her second year.

In her final season, Pineros’s production at the plate slipped and third-year shortstop Jen Jacobson rose as the heavy hitter. Even though she didn’t lead the way in stats this spring, she kept her can’t-beat-me mentality and continued her role as a team leader.

“That belief in herself really separates her from a lot of players, especially at the plate,” Kmak said.

Her confidence also made her an example for the rest of the Maroons to follow. Not the most vocal player, Pineros was the type of teammate who hustled at every practice and built close relationships with everyone on the squad.

From here, Pineros leaves Hyde Park for the University of Pennsylvania, where she has a full scholarship to attend medical school.

“She’s a very well rounded person and excels in everything that she does,” Kmak said.

Although Pineros figured out the key to personal success on and off the field and became a leading force on the team, she isn’t one to demand the spotlight. Her personal achievements come second to congratulating her teammates on home runs and reflecting on the squad’s efforts to make regionals.

“I love team sports. I couldn’t play an individual sport,” Pineros said. “My success is nothing unless it’s my team’s success, and the team’s success is all that matters. Everyone being there for each other is the best part of the game.”

Give credit where credit is due

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:56:00 -0500

In the coming weeks, both the Order of the “C” and the Women’s Athletic Association will hold their end-of-the-year banquets. The events, undeniably classy affairs, serve to honor the accomplishments of the athletes and coaches who dedicated themselves to athletics over the course of the year.

The centerpiece of each event is the blanket presentation, during which the graduating fourth-years are cloaked in a maroon blanket marked with a wishbone “C.” The tradition dates back to the start of the Order of the C in 1903, where the majority of the student body would annually gather in Mandel Hall to send off their senior athletes.

While this campus’s interest in sports has certainly waned, the athletes’ enthusiasm has not, and today members of both organizations look forward to one day getting “the blanket.”

For added incentive, each senior receives a star on their blanket for each year of a sport played, color-coded to each respective sport. Those who make the rank of captain during their athletic careers also receive a black star for each year of captaincy.

This system is all good and well, until you notice that on stage there is a big departure between the star count on each blanket. This is endemic of the problem that mars both the Order of the “C” and the WAA banquets—star inflation.

The problem: Due in part to Title IX compliance, Indoor Track and Field and Outdoor Track and Field are considered two unique sports. When you add cross country into the mix, most runners are considered three-sport athletes.

The result: Each distance runner’s blanket looks like a Van Gogh painting.

Additionally, through the Patricia R. Kirby Award, the Women’s Athletic Association actually honors the senior who has received the most stars over her tenure at the University. The award was named after coach Kirby, who before retiring in 1989, coached badminton, softball, basketball, and volleyball. Now the award goes almost exclusively to a female runner.

It is perhaps ironic that the award, which was intended to go to the athlete who mastered a wide range of skills and fit into a myriad of teams, now perennially goes to an athlete who exclusively focuses on one sport—running. While not to say running isn’t a hard sport (possibly the hardest, in my opinion), it doesn’t represent the breadth of achievement that the award seeks to recognize. A proper recipient is someone like fourth-year Nofi Mojidi. A multi-sport athlete, Mojidi represents the Maroons for two teams, playing basketball in the winter and then running sprints for the track in the spring.

In a way, the award has changed from honoring diversity in athletic talent to acknowledging a commitment to Chicago sports for all three seasons. Distance runners may be the only ones to compete year-round, but no collegiate athlete is ever truly out of season. NCAA regulation limits the amount of time for official practices, but it has no control over the training that individuals take on outside of the team. If you walk into Ratner in the near future, you are likely to see the basketball teams participating in shooting drills or the football team doing dead-lifts (while grunting excessively loudly).

The solution to this is perhaps frivolous, but simple: classify Track and Field as one sport, leaving out the distinction between indoor and outdoor. The difference between cross country and distance track is big enough, I begrudgingly suppose, to be considered different sports, but to get three sports out of running distances is a little crazy.

While this is not the most pressing issue facing our school, I’d like to put my objection on record. If nothing else, this will serve to preempt the groans of many when a cross-country senior takes home a blanket that looks like an overhead view of the Academy Award’s red carpet.

The official Maroon cheat sheet to all things track and field, plus Chicago standouts

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:54:00 -0500

After both men’s and women’s track took home gold at Indoor UAAs and followed with silver at Outdoor Conferences, the teams have followed up their league success with spots in the national rankings. The women currently hold seventh with the men at 27th.

Without a familiarity with track and field terminology, though, it is difficult to understand the full extent of Chicago’s achievements in the 2007–2008 campaign. To help bolster knowledge about the sport and what it takes to reach the squads’ levels of accomplishments, the Maroon has compiled a concise glossary for the uninitiated and the curious.

Track and Field: A collection of sports that involve running, jumping, and/or throwing. Think back to elementary school physical education and all those tests of strength and endurance. Now, imagine those seemingly arbitrary metrics of physical prowess formalized, codified, and made fiercely competitive. That, in a nutshell, is track and field.

Indoor vs. Outdoor: The track and field season is divided into indoor and outdoor portions. The indoor season stretches from January to March, and the outdoor campaign commences in late March and continues into late May. Some races, such as the 55-meter dash, are only conducted during the indoor season while events like the javelin, hammer throw, and steeplechase only take place at outdoor meets.

Sprints: The shortest running challenges in track and field, the 55-, 100-, 200-, and 400-meter dashes can be won and lost by hundredths of a second. Top-shelf sprinters possess a combination of steely nerves, quick feet, and just enough muscle mass to explode out of the starting blocks.
Maroons to Watch: First-year Stephanie Omueti and second-year Blake Obuchowski, who represented Chicago in the top three in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at UAAs three weeks ago.

Hurdles: Essentially a sprint but with 10 hurdles standing 30 to 42 inches high placed at specific intervals throughout the course. Athletes who monopolize these events tend to exhibit qualities identical to those of great sprinters, with really long legs as an added prerequisite.
Maroons to Watch: First-year Brian Andreycak won the men’s 110-meter hurdles while third-year Meaghan Ehrling took third in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at this year’s Outdoor Conference.

Middle Distance: The 800-, 1,500-, and 3,000-meter runs occupy a middle region between the short races and distance events. As a result, middle-distance domination demands a balance of muscular endurance, cardiovascular stamina, and a touch of sprinting ability.
Maroons to Watch: Recently graduated Emil Bojanov (A.B. ’07) and Jessica Winter (A.B. ’06) both specialized in the 1,500 and qualified to compete at NCAAs on multiple occasions during their times at Chicago.

Long Distance: As the longest and most grueling events, the 5k and 10k decisively shift the focus from speed to stamina. The Maroons pound pavement all over the South Side to prepare for up to 25 competitive turns around the track.
Maroons to Watch: Second-year Arthur Baptist placed first in the men’s 10,000, while third-year Rachel Venezia took third in the women’s 5,000 at Outdoor UAAs.

Steeplechase: A 3,000-meter run during which runners must jump over 28 barriers and slog through seven water jumps. Barriers resemble lower and sturdier hurdles, while water jumps are sloped puddles that reward runners capable of leaping over the majority of the hole and landing in the shallow end of the pool.
Maroon to Watch: Venezia placed 15th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at 2007 Outdoor NCAAs.

Throws: Throwing events constitute half of the sport’s field portion. Elite competitors combine impressive agility with tremendous strength to hurl, fling, and chuck a myriad of heavy objects as far as possible.

Shot Put and Discus: Shot putters use a set of motions called “putting” to throw a heavy metal ball, the “shot.” In the discus, throwers take a few steps in circle before releasing the disc. Strict rules govern the form and the motion used to send the shot and discus flying.
Maroons to Watch: Second-year Nicole Murphy dominated the women’s shot put at both the 2008 Indoor and Outdoor UAAs, while fourth-year John Anderson garnered All–UAA honors in the shot put at Indoor Conferences this season. Second-year Claire Ray earned All-American honors at last year’s NCAAs with her sixth-place effort in the discus throw.

Hammer: Competitors in the hammer throw try to send a heavy metal ball, attached to a wire and handle, sailing. To maximize the distance between the point of release and the point of landing, athletes swing the hammer above their heads in a circular motion and pick up speed by completing up to four turns before releasing.
Maroon to Watch: Anderson took second in the men’s hammer throw at Outdoor UAAs.

Javelin: Incorporating an element of speed into the throwing events, the javelin allows for a short run-up before hurling the spear-like object.
Maroon to Watch: Ray produced a fourth-place showing in the women’s javelin throw at last month’s league championships.

Jumps: Like the throws and sprints, the jumps demand a high level of agility, speed, and the capacity for enormous bursts of strength. Jumpers must send their bodies flying forward and backward as high or as far as possible.

High Jump: High jumpers fling themselves over a horizontal bar set progressively higher throughout the competition. Athletes gain forward and upward momentum while diagonally approaching the mark before thrusting upwards and sliding over the top of the bar.
Maroon to Watch: Fourth-year Appie Hirve is the current conference champion in the women’s high jump.

Pole Vault: Similar to the high jump, vaulters throw themselves over a horizontal bar, but with the help of a long, flexible pole. Instead of approaching the bar from an angle, athletes sprint directly toward their mark and use their pole to clear their bodies over the top of the bar.
Maroons to Watch: Third-years John Pribik and Seth Satterlee tied for the fourth spot in the event at last month’s Outdoor UAAs.

Long Jump: Participants sprint down a short runway and leap into a pit while attempting to maximize the distance between the designated take-off point and where they land. Since a speedy approach is essential to nailing a winning distance, gifted sprinters often dominate the long jump.
Maroons to watch: Fourth-years Myra Collins and Zach Rodgers took second in the long jump at Outdoor Conferences last month.

Triple Jump: Similar to the long jump, athletes must execute a specified sequence of smaller jumps before leaping into the pit to land their final mark.
Maroon to Watch: Hirve earned All-American honors in the triple jump with her fourth-place finish at 2008 Indoor NCAAs.

And that is what the South Siders do when they burn rubber, land jumps, and throw objects. There’s one more chance to catch the teams at home in action as they host the Chicago Penultimate Invite tomorrow at Stagg. Next week they have the North Central Last Chance to make the cut for NCAAs.

Sports Shorts 5/9/08: Maroons grab conference, regional honors

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:52:00 -0500

With the Maroons’ seasons all but over, three spring squads piled up honors this week.

The softball team has chalked up two more all-region team selections for Chicago, bringing this year’s total to eight as third-year shortstop Jen Jacobson and second-year outfielder/pitcher Kathleen Duffy were selected to the All–Great Lakes Region Team Tuesday.

Jacobson closed out her junior season batting .517, the fourth-highest season average in school history. A 25-game hitting streak highlighted Jacobson’s season as the shortstop reached base in all but one of her 28 games.

Duffy led the Maroons with 24 RBI this year. She hit .460 while splitting time between the outfield and the pitcher’s mound while also contributing at third and shortstop. Each were named UAA Athlete of the Week earlier this season, as softball closed out the year with a record of 11–19.

In UAA nods, third-year catcher Scott Hofer and second-year pitcher Joe Pankow earned a rare sweep of UAA Athlete of the Week honors for the baseball team, and first-year Harry Backlund rounded out Chicago’s trio of conference honorees.

Hofer knocked in seven runs and scored six while batting .387 and notching a .613 slugging percentage over a seven-game span. He belted the first grand slam of his college career in last Friday’s loss to Aurora.

Pankow capitalized on Hofer’s power display against Wheaton, holding the Thunder scoreless over seven innings while giving up four hits and striking out five en route to a 6–4 win.

Backlund took silver in the 1500-meter run with a time of 3:58.99 Saturday at the Butler University Twilight Invitational against competition of all divisions.

Sports Shorts 5/9/08: Women's soccer drops game to Wildcats

Fri, 09 May 2008 01:51:00 -0500

Missing key players and fielding a few experimental formations, women’s soccer played Northwestern in a spring exhibition game Tuesday, holding their D-I opponents scoreless in the first half before allowing two goals in the second to finish with a score of 2–0.

The Maroons, who traveled without a goalkeeper, borrowed first-year Wildcat Grace Weitz for the contest. Weitz and the Maroons’ back four contained Northwestern for the first half as the action centered on the physical matchups at midfield.

The best scoring chance for the Maroons fell to second-year midfielder Claire Gill just after the half-hour mark, as she launched a hard shot from outside the box, just missing the top right corner of the goal.

The Wildcats broke out early in the second half, and pressured Chicago’s young defense for much of the stanza. The breaking point came when first-year striker Sam Greene found room on the right wing, darted into the box, and sent it cleanly past Weitz. The second Wildcat goal was scored with only eight seconds left in the match as second-year forward Alicia Herczeg slotted one in off Weitz’s attempted block.

The exhibition game allowed head coach Amy Reifert to evaluate the results of offseason training, test potential lineups, and gauge the potential of walk-on players. For the players, it was a chance to gear up for the fall season against tough competition.

Despite the 2–0 result, the game represented a valuable opportunity for the Maroons to match up against a quick, physical D-I team.

“[It] was a very encouraging indication of our abilities to be problem solvers and to step up in competitive situations,” third-year midfielder Siggy Nachtergaele said.

Inconsistency mars baseball's home stretch

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:52:00 -0500

Following a jam-packed weekend that included five games in three days, baseball is fast approaching the end of its season. Unfortunately, the extra time on the field hasn’t helped the Maroons iron out all the wrinkles that have given them trouble since returning to Hyde Park in April.

Going 1–4 this weekend, including a doubleheader sweep by playoff-hopeful DePauw (35–11) to close out the year at J. Kyle Anderson Field, the Maroons dropped to 9–17 overall. Their only win during the three days of play came in an 8–5 edging of Rockford College (24–16) Sunday.

“Since returning from Arizona, it just doesn’t seem like we’re able to put together a complete team effort,” fourth-year outfielder Mike Morgan said. “We’ve struggled to get consistent hitting, pitching, and defense on any given day….”

In the middle of the team’s losses, power hitting by fourth-year Nate Ginsberg and third-years Travis Blane and Scott Hofer, along with some solid pitching performances, helped to keep Chicago close to its opponents.

After driving his first home run of the season against Wheaton (23–12) Wednesday, Hofer followed up with a grand slam against Aurora (25–15) Friday. Ginsberg also went yard against the Spartans, while Blane roped his second dinger of the year with a two-run blast against Carthage (32–5) Sunday.

Despite boosts from Hofer’s, Ginsberg’s, and Blane’s bombs, the Maroons still struggled to stay ahead of their opponents. Against Aurora, Hofer’s slam gave the Maroons a 13–8 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. Earlier in the game, Ginsberg sent one over the fence for two RBI and a 5–3 advantage in the third.

“The wind was blowing straight out toward the fence at Aurora, and the score certainly reflected the extreme weather conditions,” Morgan said. “The fact that we led pretty much throughout the game made the loss a particularly tough one.”

But Aurora scored three in its half of the seventh and added three more its next at bat to graze by Chicago 14–13. In a similar fashion, Blane’s homer helped the squad keep up in Sunday’s back-and-forth game against Carthage that Chicago ultimately dropped 11–9.

With the team down 2–0 after the first inning, Blane’s shot tied things up just when the Red Men were about to return to their dugout unscathed. Chicago had put two on the bases with no outs after collecting back-to-back walks to open the inning, but then Carthage brought Blane to the plate by getting two quick putouts, including a tag on a base runner. The outfielder knocked his other home run of the season in Concordia’s 17–7 trouncing of the Maroons back on April 2.

Against 19th-ranked DePauw, the Maroons got their two strongest outings from the mound of the weekend. Third-year starter Alex Gallan (1–4, 5.35 ERA) went the distance in the opener, getting tagged for the 7–2 loss after holding the Tigers to only a run through four innings.

Of the seven runs scored by DePauw, four were earned, and Gallan struck out five while walking one. First-year Marshall Oium (0–3, 5.73) took the hill for game two and had similar success early on, keeping DePauw scoreless through four with the help of some key defensive plays.

In the second, Ginsberg nailed his throw to the plate from right to catch a runner heading for home. Two innings later, Hofer got the second out of a bases-loaded jam by holding on to a foul ball popped up near the backstop as he hit the deck.

This weekend’s set of games was particularly rough for the Maroons, given the promise they showed in Wednesday’s 6–4 win over a Wheaton squad that averages 9.6 runs per game. But Chicago has a shot to wrap up the 2008 season on an upswing with a matchup at North Central (12–21) today and then at Illinois Tech (11–22) Friday.

“We have a very short season, and it’s hard to get in and out of rhythms,” Blane said. “If we played a three- or four-month season, we would have a lot more time to get into those rhythms. I don’t think this season has been an unproductive one.”

Men's lacrosse falls to NU in rainy Stagg debut

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:49:00 -0500

Bad luck struck twice at Stagg Field Friday night—first in the form of an electrical storm that canceled the women’s lacrosse game and later as an overtime goal that lifted Northwestern past the men’s team.

On a dreary night that was supposed to feature the first two club-sports competitions at the new Stagg Field, it looked for a while like there might not be even one. In the end, though, the skies cleared shortly after the women’s game was called off, and the men got their chance to take the field for a hard-fought 12–11 loss to Northwestern’s club squad.

Playing the Wildcats for the second time this season, the Maroons seemed to have learned from that previous experience for most of the game, opening up several two- and three-goal leads over the visitors. Chicago had beaten the Cats with a limited roster earlier this quarter, and it appeared that a strong performance from the full complement of players at Friday’s game would help the South Siders maintain their bragging rights.

But whatever advantages the Maroons brought into the game fizzled down the stretch. Though the Wildcats trailed 5–8 at one point in the third quarter, three defensive lapses in a span of three minutes allowed Northwestern to knot the game at eight before the period was up.

Each time, the Cats brought the ball downfield quickly and, with Chicago’s defense still out of place, hit a man standing by the right post with a short entry pass. The Northwestern players always shot from a difficult angle, but at such close range it didn’t matter. All three times the Wildcats buried the ball in the back of the net.

Finding their footing once more, the Maroons got a go-ahead goal before the third quarter ended and one more as the fourth was getting underway, but the Wildcats responded to the two-goal run by getting three more of their own. Northwestern’s trio of goals put them up 11–10, and with less than five minutes to go until the final whistle, Chicago had to scramble for a point.

With the Wildcats playing in a noticeably more defensive style, the Maroons were thwarted in their attempts for a tie on their first couple of trips downfield. But with just over two minutes remaining, the team found nylon when second-year Geoff Anderson’s shot rocketed out of a jumble of players in front of the Northwestern goal and past the Cats’ hapless goalie, garnering a relieved round of cheers and applause from the Chicago faithful.

Despite several promising looks, neither squad broke the tie during the remaining moments of regulation, and the game headed into a golden-goal overtime period. The tension in the stands was palpable, but the assembled fans didn’t have to wait long for a resolution: just a couple minutes into the overtime, a well placed Northwestern shot beat the Chicago keeper and earned the visitors their victory.

“Northwestern played a lot better than we expected,” fourth-year John Connor said. Connor is one of the club’s founders and its current captain. “And we made some careless errors that we normally don’t make.”

The game was not without its highlights for the Maroons, though. Third-year Sam Haddaway scored twice in one of the evening’s standout performances.
“He joined the team two years ago having never played the game before and has come a long way,” Connor said.
The game was the last of the season for the team, which finished its spring campaign 7–2.

Even though the final tally wasn’t what they had hoped for, the men still made out better than the women, who didn’t make it to the opening face-off against Northwestern. The Maroons were already on the pitch when the rain started to fall, and while they kept warming up for a few minutes, they were forced to run for cover once the rain got heavier and the lightning began.

With the prospects of the game being played looking dim, the Northwestern women decided to head back to Evanston. Naturally, the rain relented and the sun broke through the clouds just a short time later.

“We are trying to reschedule a game, but it is hard for us to get time on Stagg Field, so we will probably play up at Northwestern,” captain Ritika Khilnani said. “There is a small chance that we will be able to get a game here.”

The rainstorm didn’t dampen spirits at the men’s game. Undeterred by the weather, a vocal contingent of students and parents turned out for free barbecue and the unusual opportunity to see Maroon lacrosse in action.

“I put a lot of time and effort into putting this event together and had a vision for how I wanted it to turn out,” Connor said of the game, which he thought of and organized. “Given the conditions, it turned out a lot better than I expected.”

Hainje's time defined by clutch shot

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:15:00 -0500

Fourth-year Nate Hainje has hit thousands of jump shots in his life.

So when he takes the pass from second-year guard Jake Pancratz and settles in just beyond the arc at the top of the key, everyone knows that this one is going in.
Hainje comes from a basketball family. His cousins play, and he has called the hardwood home for a decade and a half, earning selections to his all-conference and all-county teams in high school before coming to the University of Chicago in 2004.

“Before we even started playing, I really enjoyed how close everyone was,” Hainje said of the Maroon squad. “It made coming here a lot easier because I automatically had 15 new friends.”
Since then, Hainje has developed into the go-to guy on the court. When the Maroons needed a bucket, he could find one with a drive to the basket, a fade-away along the baseline, or a three over a defender’s outstretched hand.

“You could count on him without hesitation on the court because he did it every day in practice,” second-year guard Jake Pancratz said. “During practice, he was the one to get us going. He was really intense with everything he did…[and] a leader in every way possible.”

This year’s team captain, Hainje began his career as a Maroon as a pass-first player, looking to involve his teammates before making his own move to the basket. The 2006–2007 season, however, saw Hainje add a new level of intensity and aggression to his already heady play.

“Nate’s always made good choices,” McGrath said. “I don’t think he became a better player; I think he became more assertive.”

After being shut out in all-conference voting his second year, Hainje catapulted to a first-team selection during his third season, averaging 13.5 points and six rebounds.

Along with the boost in numbers, Hainje found himself demonstrating the leadership that McGrath and his teammates had seen in him from the first time he donned the maroon and white.
“Nate’s had a presence on the team and on campus from the moment he [arrived],” head basketball coach Mike McGrath said. “He’s an energetic guy. He brings a positive spirit to practice and to campus, and he’s been a lot of fun to coach because of that.”

It was as much fun to watch Hainje from the stands as it was from the bench this season, as he averaged 16 points per game along with 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. With his team needing wins to stay in the race for the UAA championship, Hainje notched six double-doubles in his final seven conference games, a streak that helped earn him UAA Player of the Year honors, along with a selection to the D-III All-America team.

But for the Indiana native who first came to Chicago looking to share the ball, the individual accolades are footnotes in the story of the Maroons’ trip to the title. On March 1, having outlasted all conference opponents but Wash U, the Maroons were one victory away from a second consecutive conference title. Playing all but two minutes of what would be the final game on his home court, Hainje helped the Maroons battle back from an early 12-point deficit with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

So, with the clock counting down the final minute of his career in the UAA and the Maroons hanging onto a one-point lead, Hainje did what he had done best all season, what those around him knew he could do when he first arrived on campus, and what the 1,500 fans in attendance knew he would do with the game on the line.

He stepped up, followed through with the unorthodox shot that Maroon fans have come to love, and buried a three-pointer with 49 seconds remaining, all but sealing the title for the South Siders.

“Once I got him the ball, I knew, everyone on the team knew he was going to hit that shot,” Pancratz said. “Once he hit it we were all going nuts….”

Amidst the roar of the crowd, Hainje can’t remember things quite as clearly.

“I kind of blacked out,” he said. “I can’t remember anything I was thinking for that 30 seconds.”

With the season coming to close a few days later after a first-round loss in the NCAA D-III tournament, Hainje has found himself playing a few more video games than he has in a long time.

“For the first time in a long time, I’m not working toward a new season,” Hainje said. “Life just got a lot slower.”

Graduating with a double major in religious studies and political science, Hainje plans to take a year off to consider his options for further education. He will depart in the school’s top ten in rebounds, assists, free throws, and three-pointers, and his 1,119 points will earn him the 11th spot in scoring.

Meanwhile, the Maroons will have to move on to next year short Hainje and fellow fourth-years Tim Reynolds, Zach Sheline, and Kirk Ellsworth.

“They’re a fun group of guys,” McGrath said. “Losing a Player of the Year of the UAA is a big loss competitively…but the personality gap is the biggest thing we’re going to have to show next year.”

Zhang named Rookie of the Year

Mon, 05 May 2008 23:13:00 -0500

Although he narrowly missed out on a postseason berth, first-year men’s tennis star Will Zhang tucked another honor under his belt Friday when he was named the UAA Rookie of the Year.

Playing most of the year at the Maroons’ top singles slot, Zhang posted a 14–8 record. His season highlights included a 7–6 (3–0), 3–6, 10–7 win over Northwestern’s Peter Rispoli in the
Maroons’ lone victory during their season-opener against the D-I foes. The rookie also triumphed over third-year Toni Todoric of D-I Chicago State, and when the Maroons lost to then-seventh-ranked Wash U in early March, Zhang needed only two sets to top John Watts, who was at the time the highest-ranked singles player in D-III.

In the Maroons’ fourth-place finish at the UAA tournament, Zhang lost a three set super-tiebreaker in Chicago’s quarterfinal win over NYU but finished the season with a dominant 6–2, 6–3 win against Carnegie’s Andrew Clearfield.

This season, the Pennsylvania native had a 4–1 record at second doubles, where he played primarily with second-year Lado Bakhutashvili.

On Monday, despite failing to garner the top-eight regional ranking that would have qualified him for NCAAs, Zhang was named an alternate to the competition and will play if a contender from the Central Region declines to participate for any reason.

Weather hampers track's bid for NCAA qualifiers

Mon, 05 May 2008 22:50:00 -0500

The Maroons’ quest for lifetime bests and national standards continued over the weekend at the Butler Twilight Invitational in Indianapolis. Men’s and women’s track and field was primed to deliver some of the season’s best performances, but a mighty wind and unseasonable conditions combined to thwart their efforts.

With NCAAs and the official end of a wildly successful spring campaign only three weeks away, Chicago’s runners, jumpers, and throwers kicked the competition up several notches. Adding to the nearly unbearable end-of-the-season pressure to hit career-best marks, the provisional qualification system jarred the nerves of Maroons even further as Chicago’s athletes continued to slog through the long, drawn-out battle against each other, Mother Nature, and Lady Luck. The weekend’s results demonstrated the frustration, heartbreak, and excitement inherent in a set-up that guarantees spots to only a select few, those who manage to meet the “automatic qualification standard,” and leaves the vast majority to fight a second-by-second, centimeter-by-centimeter battle for a chance to strut their stuff at nationals.

“The weather was terrible,” head coach Chris Hall said. “There was a 40 mile-per-hour wind all day, so none of the marks counted towards national qualification…Most of the performances were good, but all were relative. All day we were thinking, if we can compete like this when it’s windy and cold, imagine what we can do when the weather is nice.”

A new policy that excludes NCAA-caliber marks set in the short sprints, hurdles, long and triple jumps when winds could skew results left one Maroon holding an officially unacknowledged career-best. More generally, while Chicago’s athletes put forth impressive showings, the fact that adverse conditions always add seconds and detract meters placed an obstacle in the path of Maroons pursuing personal records and positions on the line-up at the national meet.

On the women’s side, fourth-year Myra Collins most visibly suffered from nature’s wrath as high winds required the NCAA to disregard her program record breaking, provisionally qualifiying 5.72-meter effort in the long-jump. Collins was able to retain the bragging rights that accompany a second-place finish against a predominantly DI field, but the technical dismissal of an otherwise championship-worthy performance was still particularly frustrating. Fellow senior and jumps squad stalwart Appie Hirve took fourth in the high-jump and triple jumps with leaps of 1.55 and 11.45 meters while second-year Nicole Murphy proffered a silver-medal showing in the shot put, hurling 13.46 meters. On the track, the women’s 4x400-meter relay finished in 4:13.94 for the number two spot behind UAA rival Wash U. Finally, fourth-year Hannah Moots snatched fourth-place in the 5,000-meter run, breaking the tape in 18:21.54.

The men’s half matched the women’s success by nabbing their own slew of top-five finishes. First-year stand-outs Harry Backlund (3:58.99) and Brian Andreycak (15.16) represented Chicago’s crop of rookies on the winner’s stand with second and fourth-place finishes in the 1,500-meter open and the 110-meter hurdles. Second-year Herman Reeves rounded out the Maroons’ presence in the running events, landing in the number four spot with a 57.27 effort in the 400-meter hurdles. Fourth-year Zach Rodgers led Chicago’s men into the field by bounding 13.98 meters for a top three finish in the triple jump as third-year Seth Satterlee sailed 13-07.50 meters to contribute a fourth-place performance in the pole vault.

“We saw a lot of great performances on Saturday and not just from the people who are aiming to go NCAAs,” Hall said. “It is really hard to shift your focus from chasing down national qualifications and lifetime bests to just attempting to be as competitive as possible.”

Hall is confident that a gentler breeze and a little sun will see the number of new personal records flourish and the size of Chicago’s NCAA-bound contingent grow. While only Murphy, who hit an especially high provisional standard at outdoor UAAs three weeks ago, can be confident that there will be a place for her in the championship line-up, a number of Maroons are only a fraction of a second or a centimeter away from going to the big dance. Second-year Claire Ray and third-year Rachel Venezia are likely national contenders in the discus and 3,000-meter steeplechase. Hall has similarly high, though slightly more reserved, hopes for first-years Jacob Solus and Stephanie Omueti in the triple jump and 100- and 200-meter dashes. With a little luck and some decent weather, both the men’s and women’s 4x100-meter relay teams could toe the line in Oshkosh.

“There are a lot of people who could make it nationals,” Hall said. “Some are ranked high enough nationally right now that it’s more than likely they will go on to NCAAs…Some definitely have the ability and its just a matter of time and opportunity…Others, I’m not quite ready to say so out loud and in print, but I see the potential.”

The Maroons are hoping for clear skies this weekend as they host the Chicago Penultimate Invite at the Ted Haydon Track.

Baseball powers its way past Wheaton

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:40:00 -0500

With the baseball season nearing its end, Chicago’s struggle to build up some momentum and find consistency on the field continued into this week.

The Maroons (8–13) were set back with an 8–2 trouncing by a lackluster Elmhurst (11–24) in a matchup Tuesday that they were counting on to get them ready for Wheaton (20–12). Hosting the Thunder the next afternoon, the team managed to pull together for one of its best games of the spring, getting behind second-year Joseph Pankow for a 6–4 win.

Poor fielding played a large role in the loss to the Blue Jays. Of the seven runs given up by first-year starting pitcher Marshall Oium (0–2, 5.19 ERA), only three were earned. However, with 13 men left on the base paths, the Maroons’ inability to string together a few RBI hits contributed to Tuesday’s troubles.

“There were a few errors, but for the most part, they were getting a lot of hits and putting runs on the board,” second-year third baseman Ben Nordstrom said. “We just failed to match them at the plate.”

After an all-around bad day at the plate and in the field, the Maroons turned things around against playoff-bound Wheaton. The Thunder came to J. Kyle after completing a three-game sweep of Elmhurst Friday and Saturday.

In a slugfest, Wheaton scored 57 runs against the Blue Jays over the weekend, but Pankow (3–2, 3.88) silenced that offense with seven scoreless innings. The Maroons gave him an early lead to work with, after third-year catcher Scott Hofer cracked a two-run homer in the bottom of the first.

Hofer went 3–4 with a pair of RBI from the cleanup spot Wednesday and was part of the double steal in the third that gave Chicago a 3–0 lead. He set things up with a single to left that pushed third-year Kyle Schmitt to third base. On the next at bat, he sprinted to second while Schmitt swiped home.

Despite the three-run lead, the Maroons had little breathing room over a Wheaton team that had amassed a .353 team batting average and posted 23 runs in a single game against Elmhurst.

The daunting task of facing the Thunder’s lineup fell on Pankow’s shoulders, who allowed only four hits, struck out five, and kept the Thunder off the board through his seven innings of work.

“Joseph was outstanding,” assistant coach Scott Budeselich said. “Wheaton is a great hitting team, but you would have never have known it the way he handled them. He kept us in the game against a tough opponent, and we were able to exploit it for the win.”

A late, eighth-inning rally doubled the Maroons’ lead after a two-run triple by the new designated hitter, fourth-year Dominik Meyer. Meyer then scored as the Wheaton outfielder overthrew third base, giving Chicago a 6–0 advantage as it headed into the ninth for the final three outs.

Turns out the team needed the extra insurance. First-year pitcher Dan McConologue entered the game, continuing Pankow’s success and the shutout of Wheaton in the eighth. But the rookie reliever found himself in trouble after a shaky start to the ninth.

Fourth-year catcher Nate Pugh began the inning for the Thunder with a single. Following a walk by McConologue and an error by second-year shortstop Rob Serpico, Pugh found himself on third. With the bases loaded and only one out, the Thunder wasn’t giving up on a win.

“They were starting to really come back, but I had full confidence in him to close out the game,” Nordstrom said of McConologue’s presence on the mound.

The rookie procured the save, but he didn’t leave the game unscathed. Two consecutive singles knocked in three runs for Wheaton, and the visitors added another on a throwing error by fourth-year center fielder Mike Morgan.

With the score now 6–4, the Thunder still wasn’t done. McConologue struck out rookie first baseman Danny Pyne, bringing up the man who started it all, Pugh, with two outs and men in scoring position.

A single to the outfield would have easily tied the game, but McConologue remembered Pugh’s previous at bat and adjusted for the 6-foot-1 catcher. McConologue caught the catcher swinging at strike three, ending the four-run rally and securing Chicago’s win.

As the team travels to Aurora today to challenge the 22–15 Spartans, coaches and players will look for the big win over Wheaton as a launching pad to end the final week of the season on a high note.

“We would like to build on what we did Wednesday at the plate and on the mound. Hopefully in the process we can put together a little win streak together to close out the season,” Budeselich said.

Dayananda, Lin make NCAA cut

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:38:00 -0500

After making solo trips to the NCAAs the past two years, the top tandem of women’s tennis will take on Nationals together.

Both second-year Marissa Lin and third-year Vindya Dayananda earned a spot to compete in singles, as the second- and eighth-ranked players in the Central Region. The teammates will get to double their fun at Gustavus Adolphus College May 16–18. As the region’s third-ranked combo, they also made the cut for pairs play.

Given their standings in the Midwest, their chances of returning for another postseason this year were all but a sure thing. The NCAA accepts the top eight players in singles and the best four doubles partners for the tournament from each of the four regions in the division.

“They really don’t make any surprising moves,” Dayananda said. “They usually don’t take people out, but they might add people from what I’ve heard.”

“I saw making Natinoals as a pretty tough goal that I should set for myself from the beginning of the year, but once I had won regionals, I was pretty certain that I would make the cut,” Lin added.

For Dayananda, this will be her second time at NCAAs after going as rookie in 2006. That spring she competed individually and alongside her teammates as the Maroons garnered the program’s first ever team appearance.

Chicago lost 5–3 to Wheaton in the first round, but Dayananda went on to claim All-American honors after splitting her pair of matches at the singles championship held at UC Santa Cruz.

She finished last season with an overall mark of 18–6 and wrapped up the spring winning nine in a row, but it wasn’t enough to secure another trip.

Instead, Lin picked up the torch and represented the Maroons on the national stage. A 6–2, 6–1 loss to Carnegie Mellon’s then–third-year Amy Staloch in the opening match put an early end to her postseason run.

With NCAAs as a season goal from day one, Lin looks to go deeper into the tournament this time around. Making her second consecutive showing at Nationals gives Lin an edge as a young veteran. Both she and Dayananda will try to capitalize on being older, wiser, and having more matches under their belts.

“I know what to expect now so I’ll be better prepared, especially in terms of the mental side,” Lin said. “Last year, I think I let my nerves get the best of me, but hopefully I can get through that and perform at 100 percent.”

With the jitters out of the way and the confidence of playing a strong season from start to finish, Lin will be a lot closer to matching Dayananda in her All-American status. On top of previous National experience, the duo also has the advantage of traveling and playing together this time.

“It’s much nicer now because we’re both in the same situation and we both want to win.

“You definitely feel a lot more comfortable going to the tournament with one of your teammates,” Dayananda said. “Going alone, it’s a little intimidating.”

Heading to St. Peter as a pair gives the teammates more than moral support, though. Taking the court in doubles offers Lin and Dayananda more time to scope out their competition and keep in match shape physically and mentally.

A fierce duo, they have posted a 20–7 mark, improving on the 14–8 record from last spring.

“Vindya and I got off to a great start winning the doubles regionals ,and we just clicked and starting playing together a lot more effortlessly through the year,” Lin said.

With two weeks to prepare for the tournament, Lin and Dayananda have some time to keep building on their skills from the 2006–2007 campaign and be in top form for the best in DIII. At the end of the day, though, NCAAs is all about getting another chance to play.

“I hope to go out there and enjoy it,” Dayananda said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a lot of tennis. I just want to make the most of this opportunity.”

Lacrosse clubs to host Stagg games

Fri, 02 May 2008 00:35:00 -0500

For most Maroon teams, home games on the sparkling new fields behind Ratner are the norm. For the men’s and women’s lacrosse clubs, tonight will mark a rare chance to showcase their skills under the lights of Stagg Field.

Hosting Northwestern’s club teams in a season finale doubleheader, the lacrosse squads will get their own taste of Friday night lights tonight as they face off against the Wildcats.

Before Stagg’s renovation, part of the rationale behind the new facility was that the new, durable turf would allow club and intramural sports to access the stadium. After the lights went up and the turf was laid down, fourth-year John Connor, captain of the men’s squad, came up with the idea of a joint event that would give both teams the chance to show off in front of a home crowd. His brainchild will mark the first time a club has taken advantage of the opportunity.

“Last year when Bernie DelGiorno announced the renovation for Stagg Field, I knew that before I graduated I wanted this team to experience a night under the lights,” said Connor.

Now, the event has made the jump from dream to reality for Connor and the club members.

“We’re really excited to be playing at Stagg,” said third-year Chris Powers, “and we feel honored that the men’s and women’s lacrosse clubs are the first to play there. We hope that more club teams will be able to utilize it in the future.”

For club sports that often struggle for funding, practice space, and recognition, the lacrosse teams hope tonight will serve as vindication. With spring varsity sports winding down, the games should be an ideal chance for the clubs to share some of the spotlight.

“We always host our own home tournament early spring quarter on the Midway,” said second-year Molly Turner, “but a Friday night under the lights is what we’ve always wanted.”

After spending the winter scrambling for space at Ratner and Henry Crown, the shift to Stagg will be a marked one for the women’s club, which often had to march through the cold to its practices in the Lab School gymnasium.

Since the arrival of spring weather, the squad has been practicing daily on the Midway. Putting up a 5–5–1 record at various tournaments, including a road trip to Kentucky, the women’s squad ended its official season two weeks ago at the University of Illinois tournament, where they beat Northwestern 7–4.

“We usually see Northwestern several times throughout the season,” said Turner, “and our current seniors have never lost to them. As for Friday’s game, it’s our last one of the season, and our first one under the lights, so we expect a lot from ourselves, and we’re ready to play some great lacrosse.”

Also taking on the Wildcats this spring, the men’s team topped their crosstown rivals 6–3 two weeks ago and is hoping for a bigger win tonight with a full roster at their disposal.

The road to tonight’s game has been an equally difficult one for the men’s club, which reformed three years ago and after years of low numbers and losing streaks, are having their first winning record with a 7–1 mark on the year.

“It’s amazing how far the club has come,” said third-year Chris Powers, “from all of the behind-the-scenes planning and sports-club meetings in Ratner to get enough funding to buy balls and pay for refs, to now playing at Stagg Field on a Friday night.”

If a higher power keeps thunderstorms at bay, the two squads will get to measure their progress when the women kick things off at 7 p.m., followed by the men at 9 p.m. The clubs will sponsor a barbecue between games.

Bitter end for softball's lackluster season

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:56:00 -0500

Despite some of its best overall performances of the season, softball was bedeviled by the details of the game in its final weekend of play.

Although the Maroons (11–19) outhit their competition 28–25 Saturday and Sunday, the team dropped three of its four games, losing twice at 23rd-ranked UW–Oshkosh (24–8) to start out the weekend before splitting their twinbill with Lawrence (9–16) to finish off the year.

The losses are a bitter pill for a Chicago squad that has gone through growing pains this season, but went 7–13 since returning from Arizona. The Maroons kept most of the weekend’s contests close in the early going, only to give up big innings and lots of runs late.

Losing in that fashion is even more disappointing because of how well the team played in almost every aspect of the game.

“Offensively, we had great at bats, we had great focus at the plate, and we put the pressure on on offense, and our pitching was good again on both days,” head coach Ruth Kmak said.

That all-around strength was never more apparent this season than in Saturday’s first matchup against Oshkosh. The game was tied at one through three and a half innings, and the Titans had two outs and two on in the bottom of the fourth. Second-year pitcher Lauren White (4–8, 5.92 ERA) had a full count against second-year center fielder Amie Heinzelman and served up what appeared to be strike three.

“Lauren threw strike three which the batter actually swung at, but apparently neither umpire saw her swing at it,” Kmak said. “So it would have been the third out of the inning and the inning would have been over.”

Capitalizing on the bad situation, the Titans managed to put up four runs before White could force first-year second baseman Aerial Spang into grounding out. The Titans’ followed up their two-out assault in the fourth with a decisive two-run sixth inning, after which they held a 7–2 advantage. Two RBI off a double from first-year pinch hitter Hannah Lighty in the top of the seventh helped the Maroons narrow the gap to 7–5, but Oshkosh’s relief pitching held up in the end and secured the win.

“It was a game where we actually outplayed them, we outhit them, we had probably the best pitching performance all year, but they had a couple calls go the other way, and we didn’t win the game,” Kmak said.

The final tally in the day’s second game wasn’t as close, but the contest started out just as competitively as the matinee. Second-year pitcher Kathleen Duffy (5–8, 4.76), who pitched four and a third innings in a losing effort, kept the Titans off the board until the third, when fourth-year catcher Dani Olsen went yard for the game’s first run.

Olsen’s solo shot was an indicator of things to come. In the fourth, Duffy loaded the bases and gave up two runs before Chicago got a single Titan out. A fielding error let in another run before Chicago could string together the final two put-outs. The inning concluded with three Oshkosh runners stranded and the home team up 4–0.

After the Maroons left fourth-year catcher Vanessa Pineros and first-year center fielder Caitlin Romano in scoring position in the top of the fifth, the Titans returned to the plate with the same four-run lead. Oshkosh wasted no time loading the bases, bringing up homerun-hitting Olsen, with three on and one out.

Olsen didn’t disappoint. The four-year letter-winner jacked a grand slam that put the Titans up 8–0, bringing the mercy rule into effect and ending the game early.
“Kathleen Duffy was not herself,” Kmak said of her pitcher. “She has a bicep injury, so she didn’t throw as well as she has the past few weeks.”

The Maroons parlayed the talent they showed Saturday into results early Sunday. After Lawrence walked third-year shortstop Jen Jacobson and Pineros singled, Duffy homered to center to put Chicago up 3–0 in the first.

In the third, Chicago loaded the bases on a string of walks, setting up fourth-year infielder Cassie Weiranga to drive in Lighty on a single. A wild pitch brought home first-year left fielder Jennifer Simile later in the the inning, giving Chicago a 5–0 edge. The Maroons picked up another run in the fourth, and although Lawrence got five runs in the sixth and the seventh, the Vikings wound up short, losing 6–5.

Giving up runs in the final innings would end up biting Chicago in the nightcap. RBI from White and Jacobson helped Chicago put four runs on the board during the fifth and sixth, and the team led 4–1 going into the final inning.

But in the bottom of the seventh, with two runners on, fourth-year shortstop Carrie Van Groll smashed a three-run homer, tying the game and forcing an extra frame. Chicago went scoreless in the top of the eighth, and in the bottom of the inning, Van Groll once more came to the plate with two on, and once more took Duffy deep with a three-run longball, locking up the Vikings’ win.

Dropping three out of four to conclude the season is never fun, but the games gave the Maroons much to be hopeful about as they prepare for next spring.

“We didn’t have bad at bats at all. The results weren’t always the best, but the bats were quality at bats all the way through,” Kmak said. “On defense, we were young; our outfield was very young this year. Basically, besides first and second base, everybody else was in new defensive positions.... It’s an ongoing and developing project.”

Perennial powers stop men's tennis at UAAs

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:54:00 -0500

Men’s tennis headed into the weekend looking for first-class tickets to upset city for their first UAA title, but matches against higher-ranked Wash U and Carnegie proved too much for the young Maroons.

Having played just two matches in the past month, 21st-ranked Chicago started with a strong 6–3 victory over NYU (8–9) but stumbled in the next two rounds.

Riding a nine-match winning streak, second-ranked Wash U (16–4) controlled most of the semifinal match, winning by a 5–0 margin and sending Chicago to a battle with 16th-ranked Carnegie Mellon (18–7), which the Tartans won 5–2.

“We played hard and competed well, but it’s still disappointing not to finish higher than our seed,” head coach Marty Perry said. “We thought we had a good shot to finish third, but it didn’t happen for us.”

Kicking off tournament play with a win over fifth-seeded NYU, fourth-seeded Chicago seized control of the match early, winning at first and second doubles and falling in a closely contested third doubles match. Up 2–1, the Maroons took four singles matches despite first-year Will Zhang’s 5–7, 7–6, 10–6 loss at first singles.

“We had just listened to ‘Get Silly,’ among other new southern music, so we were pretty pumped up,” Zhang said. “We were also the favorites and took control early on and didn’t really give them a chance.”

The win sent the Maroons to the semifinals, where Chicago met Wash U for the second time of the season. Their previous match, which took place on March 2, saw the Bears capture a 6–3 victory, but the upstart South Siders had something different in mind.

“We thought that we could maybe sneak out the upset if we played our best, or close to it,” Zhang said. “But they came out firing, and took the momentum right away, even starting with winning the racket spins.”

The Bears swept the doubles, taking a commanding 3–0 lead behind strong performances on the part of third-years Charlie Cutler and Chris Hoeland, the Central division’s top-ranked doubles pair. Cutler and Hoeland took down the fourth-ranked second-year pair of Steve Saltarelli and Garrett Brinker 8–4 at first doubles, and the Bears allowed just two points at second and third doubles combined with 8–2 and 8–0 victories.

“We were outclassed,” Perry said. “They’re deep, and they have very good doubles…. They played with more confidence.”

Wash U would take second and fourth singles as first-year Tim Walsh suffered a 6–1, 6–0 beating and Brinker fell 6–0, 6–2. Lightning cut the match short, leaving the remaining matches unfinished and sending the Maroons to a third-place match with Carnegie Sunday morning.

After the Maroons split first and third doubles with the Tartans, Chicago’s team of Lado Bukhatishvili and Tim Walsh looked to gain the advantage in a hard-fought match at second doubles. Carnegie, however, nabbed a 9–7 win, giving the third-seeded Tartans a 2–1 advantage heading into singles competition.

“It came down to second doubles,” Perry said. “We had our shots in that match. Both teams fought really hard for it. It was whatever they could do to win the match, and unfortunately we came out on the short end of that one.”

Zhang would bounce back with a 6–2, 6–3 victory at first singles, but it would prove to be the final point of Chicago’s season. Brinker dropped a tight 6–4, 7–5 decision at fourth singles, Bonner fell 6–4, 6–4 in the fifth slot, and Saltarelli’s 6–1, 6–3 loss gave Carnegie a 5–2 victory, leaving Chicago with a fourth-place finish before the final two matches were finished.

In the tournament finals, Emory would capture its 19th consecutive title, with Wash U taking second.

“Overall, I’d say we, as a team, are rather disappointed at the finish,” Zhang said. “We didn’t play especially poorly, but we also didn’t play our best. Finishing top three would have probably put us into the NCAA National Tournament, but that didn’t happen for us.”

With just two matches between spring break and the UAA tournament, the team was forced to turn to Boggle and Frisbee for preparation. The new regimen was a stark departure from the training needed to face the team’s tough opponents earlier in the season, which included Northwestern, Chicago State, and UW–Green Bay.

“It’s hard to get matches [at this time of year] because most of the regional schools are playing their conference schedule,” Perry said. “I don’t think it’s the reason we didn’t do as well as we might have, but you do lose your edge a little bit if you’re not competing right up until UAAs.”

With Chicago out of the team tournament picture, the Maroons’ postseason hopes lie with the doubles pair of Saltarelli and Brinker. The top four pairs from each region qualify for the tournament, and as of April 15, the South Siders’ duo is in line for the final spot.

“They’ve been playing really well; they’re progressively getting better week to week,” Perry said. “They deserve to go. They’ve got a good shot.”

With Sithian the only graduating player and the only upperclassman in the UAA lineup, Chicago looks to build next year with a competitive schedule and additional focus on their doubles pairings.

“We’re going to get better, but so will everyone else,” Perry said. “It’s a tough conference to be in.”

Baseball gets taste of UAA competition

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:53:00 -0500

With the Maroons traveling to Ohio to play back-to-back doubleheaders against Case and Wash U, the weekend showcased Maroon complaints about the frequency of game cancellations and absence from the UAA tournament.

In a weekend filled with ugly weather and two conference rivals, Chicago (7–12) went 1–3 against Wash U (14–11) and Case (12–28) in Cleveland and was outscored 22–12 in the four games. Because Chicago’s finals schedule leaves the Maroons absent from the UAA tournament, the trip marked the only chance of the year for the squad to get a taste of the conference competition.

“There was definitely a heightened sense of urgency amongst the team,” said first-year centerfielder Kevin Holzbog, who picked up three hits in the only Chicago win. “The intensity and aggressiveness was definitely higher this weekend.”

On the first game of Friday’s doubleheader, the Maroons fell to the Bears 7–1. Chicago was held to one run on five hits by third-year pitcher Brian Williams. Second-year pitcher Joseph Pankow (2–2) suffered his second loss, allowing seven earned runs in eight innings of pitching against the Bears.

The second of the two outings saw the Maroons lose a close game to Case by a score of 5–4. This battle saw the game tied on three different occasions, but each time Chicago tied the game in the top half of the inning, Case would answer back with a go-ahead score.

While the losses hurt the team, the sensitive issue of cancellations came up once again when rain delayed the start of Friday’s doubleheader but didn’t cancel it thanks, to Case’s better-equipped facilities.

“One thing that could help the team would be to get a tarp for the infield. It could solve a lot of the problems of the home cancellations,” Holzbog said. “At Case there was a 30-minute delay, because of rain. If that same thing were to happen in Chicago, they’d probably have to call the game on account of bad weather. The big difference was the tarp.”

Because of the frequency of cancellations, Chicago has missed out on 14 of its 33 scheduled games. Compared to the other two teams, Case has played 40 games without a cancellation and Wash U has played 25 games without having any called off.

Despite the ongoing controversy, the bottom line was that the Maroons still needed to take the field and play their games this weekend. With their familiar rivalry in other sports as a backdrop, the UAA teams came prepared to play tough.

“I have anger running through my veins whenever Wash U is concerned, but I think that’s mainly because of our football rivalry. There’s not that type of rivalry in baseball to feed off of and get excited about. It would really be a plus if there was one,” first-year pitcher Marshall Oium said.

In the lone Maroon win, fourth-year left-hander Nathan Ginsberg pitched Chicago to a 5–2 victory against Case. Ginsberg pitched seven innings scattering five hits and giving up two runs before handing the ball over to Oium who sealed the deal with his first save of his career.

The final matchup of the weekend pitted the Maroons against Wash U for the second time. Chicago was unable to snatch a victory, as Wash U jumped out to a 4–0 lead and never relinquished its margin, beating the Maroons 8–2.

The Maroons took a more aggressive approach to their offense this weekend, trying to fix a team batting average that is down 13 points (.273) from last year’s (.288). However, the Maroons lost an integral part of their offense early on as fourth-year third-baseman Mike Serio went down with a hamstring injury in Friday’s game against Case.

“[Going into Saturday’s game] there seemed to be a kink in the offense’s armor, because Serio has started all of our games. Serio’s OBP [.470] is off the charts, so it was kind of awkward for us to come into the game without him,” Holzbog said.

While the offense took a hit, the defense greatly improved from their horrendous seven-error performance against North Park. Although the Maroons had eight errors in the weekend, the errors weren’t as damaging as the mistakes made in previous games.

The Maroons now look to take on instate rivals Elmhurst (4–14) today at 3:30 at Elmhurst.

Newly competitive velo club qualifies for D-II Nationals

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:50:00 -0500

In what has proven to be a breakout year, the University of Chicago Velo Club has raced out of obscurity, ahead of the competition, and into the top tiers of the nation.

Comprised of members from across the University community, the “Velo,” or cycling, club enjoyed its first big year in the spotlight. Taking first place in the 2008 Division II Midwest Conference, the team ended years of dominance by its archrival DePauw University. With the gold fresh in hand, the club has now set its sights higher, sending three of its top racers to the D-II National Championships May 9 to 11. In only a few weeks, these elite athletes will head out to Colorado to continue the group’s push for glory.

Broken down into two parts, the club’s season sees cyclists training for both road and off-road events. Before classes even begin, the group hits the trails from August to October. Taking a short break for the winter, cycling then picks up its competition schedule in February. During both seasons, the club takes on the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference (MWCCC), a collection of colleges vastly different from the normal UAA fare. With races held everywhre from the University of Wisconsin to the University of Missouri, the team faces a number of Big Ten schools including Michigan and Ohio State.

Leading off the competition is DePauw University, a fast club with an impressive record on the roads. Last year, DePauw took first in the 2006–2007 MWCCC Championships, beating out Chicago yet again to keep up a five-year running tradition. The team went on to take third place in the nation, with cyclists placing in the top ten across the board.

Despite its past dominance, DePauw was seeing different colors during this year’s finals, facing a decisive defeat that gave Chicago the title. This upset was mostly due to the performances by three Chicago racers, economics graduate students Devon Haskell and Aspen Gorry and anthropology student Carly Schuster. All three of these racers were integral to the victory over DePauw and will be representing the school at Nationals.

“I think the most important factor in beating DePauw were the improvements in Devon’s racing, who won every race she took part in,” club president Francisco Torralba said. “A teammate of mine once described her performance at one particular race as ‘like something out of a cartoon.’”

Always a strong racer, Haskell has leapt ahead of the pack this season. Back in 2005, former graduate student Todd Yezefski won the criterium race at Nationals, the first University cyclist to attain such an honor. Graduating at the end of that year, Yezefski went on to become a professional cyclist, leaving Chicago without any top notch athletes of its own to replicate his achievements. This was not to last. Beginning in 2007, Haskell filled in Yezefski’s spot. In one year, she went from being a simple competitor in the B category to dominating her opponents in the A. With her performances this year exceeding even those of last, it would be no surprise for her to grow out of Yezefksi’s shoes.

“This year Devon has been a racing machine. The races where she participated became boring, because there was no contest. It is likely that she makes the top three at Nationals. It would not be surprising at all if she wins,” Torralba said.

Joining Haskell at Nationals will be teammates Gorry and Schuster. These racers too have blasted out of their old categories, taking their races from the B to the A level in one short year. No matter how they do at Nationals, all three athletes will have another full year at Chicago to improve even more.

Team development has been a main theme this year, with the club growing substantially larger than in previous seasons. One of the team-building strategies has been its training program, a grueling 15-mile route from 57th Street down to 72nd. Practicing through the frigid Chicago winter has definitely helped the group improve, and its performance against DePauw showed this.

“We recruited a lot of new members in the fall, and we stuck together through the cold. Many of the guys are relatively new to cycling, but we hope they’ll stick around and grow as racers,” Torralba said.

Once Nationals are in the bag, Velo will be right back in the races at the Monsters of the Midway Criterium. Organized by the club since the early 1990s, the race sends cyclists on a 1.25-mile circuit around the Midway. Depending on the event and bracket, the competitors will race for anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, with the first person across the finish line winning it all. The race attracts in excess of 400 participants of all levels from the Chicago area. In the past, the club has not placed well in its own event, although given the new heights Velo has reached, perhaps this will be its year.

No matter how Velo performs at Nationals or in the Monsters Criterium, this will certainly be a landmark year for cycling. With records set and expectations broken, the Velo Club has raised the bar for years to come. Given the group’s current path, no one will be surprised if it’s raised even more.

Soccer gets roughed up in spring exhibitions

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:49:00 -0500

Losing two and tying one of its three exhibition games at Northwestern Sunday, men’s soccer used the day to kick off its preseason preparation for next fall.

“The games exposed some of the things we need to work on and don’t do as well,” head coach Scott Wiercinski explained. “They were very telling for what we need to continue to put emphasis on and train in practice.”

The Maroons played three 45-minute games on Sunday, losing 2–0 to DePaul, tying UW–Parkside 0–0, and then losing 3–0 to the Wildcats.
The focus for each of the games was the same as what Chicago hopes to accomplish during the spring season: develop good team shape, ball speed, and defensive organization.

“I think our lack of ball speed showed against three very athletic teams,” Wiercinski said. “I thought our defensive organization was good at times but inconsistent throughout the day. Our team shape was adequate for the most part but we gave up five goals and didn’t score any so it wasn’t superb.”

“Playing offense is much more reliant on understanding teammates and is usually the last thing that comes along,” he continued. “The teams we played were really good, so it’s not a huge shock that we didn’t score.”

While the Maroons have only had 12 practices in the Spring Quarter, the squads they played—all of which were either D-I or D-II schools—have been on the field four or five times a week for several months.

“Not surprisingly, more play can lead to more team cohesion,” Wiercinski said.

He believes the team’s best performance on Sunday was in the scoreless draw against UW–Parkside.

“Both DePaul and Northwestern had a lot of ball and a lot of possession, and we were not quite as organized and patient defensively,” he explained.

“I thought looking at the day the problem was that we didn’t have enough players playing well throughout the day, although a lot of players played well at different times.”
Gaining the coach’s notice this weekend was a bevy of first-years, demonstrating the importance of youth to the team. Wiersinski cited rookie defenders Cory Herrick and Steven McRae and midfielders Kenzo Manners and Ryan Fitzgerald as well as second-year defender Andrew Marshall as turning in solid performances.

Experimenting with two formations throughout the day, the Maroons found that the 4-4-2 was slightly more successful.

“Playing good teams like we did is a really good barometer from which to measure our progress and see where we’re at,” Wiercinski said. “It’s a very important exercise to go through. Now we can look forward and improve for the rest of the spring and next fall.”

Hu takes Rookie of the Year honors

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:44:00 -0500

For the third straight year, a Maroon took home the UAA’s Rookie of the Year award for women’s tennis.

First-year Chrissy Hu brought the title back to Chicago after going 2–0 in singles and sweeping three doubles matches with second-year Justine Kentla. She shares the league’s top rookie honors with Jennifer Chui from Carnegie Mellon.

Hu follows in the footsteps of third-year Vindya Dayananda and second-year Marissa Lin. Dayananda set the stage for Chicago’s string of best newcomers for the 2006 season. She went on to compete solo at the NCAA tournament that spring. Lin followed up by claiming the award last year and also making the trip to Nationals.

Along with continuing a Maroon tradition, Hu earned a spot on the All-UAA first team. Dayananda joined her with a selection after posting a 2–0 effort playing at second singles.
The league’s announcement of UAA recognition puts the final touch on the regular season for a Chicago squad that captured a fourth-place finish at the tournament last weekend. The Maroons went 10–9 on the season and will hear today if the team or any individuals made the cut for the NCAAs.

Men’s tennis hopes for big UAA upset

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:51:00 -0500

The season goal for all the Maroons is to capture a UAA banner. Four teams have taken the league’s top honor so far this year, and this weekend men’s tennis has its shot at a title.

In Atlanta for a three-day tournament, the Maroons (12–6) have just two matches under their belt since returning from their spring break trip to South Carolina.

The good news is that both contests were convincing home victories for 21st-ranked Chicago, with a 9–0 blanking of Lake Forest (15–5) on April 16 and a 7–2 triumph against Olivet Nazarene (12–2) Monday. With this pair of wins, the team wraps the regular season and goes into UAAs on a four-game winning streak.

That stretch gives the fourth-seeded Maroons some momentum for this weekend, and they’re going to need all the help they can get, with three other nationally ranked squads to knock off before they claim their first UAA championship in program history.

Carnegie Mellon takes the 16th spot with a 16–6 record, host Emory is seventh with a 12–6 mark, and Wash U tops the charts at second and 14–3 on the season.

With poor weather this spring keeping Chicago off the courts, the team has sought some alternative methods to stay at the top of its game both mentally and physically.
“We have been playing a lot of frisbee for cardio and Boggle for concentration purposes,” first-year Will Zhang said about preparing for this weekend.
 
The South Siders got their first test of the tournament this morning against fifth-seeded NYU (8–7). Although the Violets aren’t ranked, they came into today’s match riding their own wave of momentum, taking six of their last eight matches. If the games of frisbee and rounds of Boggle pay off and Chicago shuts down NYU, a showdown with the top-seeded Bears could be in the cards for tomorrow. The Maroons faced the Bears once before this season and suffered a 6–3 loss to their archrivals from St. Louis.
 
Wash U will be the team to watch this weekend as the most likely candidate to spoil the Eagles’ string of conference crowns. The definition of a powerhouse, Emory has claimed 18 straight titles and 19 of 20 overall. The higher ranked Bears will make a push to get past the second-place finish they’ve had to settle for 12 times.
 
Going all the way with this type of competition is a tall order for the Maroons. Improving on last year’s bronze would be a big achievement. They’ll lean on the second-year duo of Garrett Brinker and Steve Saltarelli, who look to build on their success at the tournament last year as rookies. Regionally 10th-ranked Zhang gives Chicago a new weapon on the court, and he’ll need to help set the tone at first singles.

Between the 2010 classmates and Zhang, the Maroons have the lineup depth that separates the good teams from UAA title contenders. The full team efforts in last week’s sweep of the Foresters and in Monday’s swamping of the Tigers show that the South Siders are hitting their peak from top to bottom at just the right time. Fourth-year Bharath Sithian and first-year Mark Bonner chipped in big time Monday together in partners play and solo. They combined for an 8–0 shutout at third doubles, and both took down opponents in straight sets in singles.

A few holes remain for Chicago to fill this weekend. Doing the small things right will give the squad a headstart as it hopes to be right in the middle of the action for top honors in the league.

“We still need to work on our racket spin to decide who serves first. That would really help our confidence and give us the momentum right away,” Zhang said. “We only won six out of the nine spins, so we want to work on that a little.”

Softball stuck in seesaw season

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:49:00 -0500

Softball’s rocky 2008 campaign can be best described so far as a tale of two seasons, marked by bursts of dominance followed by dry spells.

Looking to establish some sort of consistency on the field and at the plate with their schedule approaching its end, the Maroons came out of their final set of games at home without the success or send-off for the seniors that they were looking for.

Hoping for a late season rebound with the .500 mark still technically in sight, Chicago (10–16) split a pair of matchups against Lake Forest (15–11), dropping the first game 10–6 before edging out a sorely needed 7–5 victory in the final inning of the nightcap to halt its four-game losing streak.

While they notched the “W” in the record book, the Maroons failed to dominate at any point across both games. The only consistent plays of the afternoon were a pair of leadoff home runs by third-year shortstop Jen Jacobson.

“We just couldn’t get it done,” said second-year second baseman Jill Lenson on the first game. “At this point, it’s really easy for us to get down on ourselves, but we’re working on changing that attitude.”

After Jacobson’s blast put the Maroons on the board to lead 1–0 in the opener, early solid pitching from second-year Lauren White (3–7, 7.42 ERA) kept the Foresters hitless through two frames. But everything came apart in the third inning, when White gave up five runs—only one of them earned—on three errors, including a wild pitch that sent Foresters second-year catcher Jill Pfund across the plate to put Chicago in a steep 5–1 hole.

Refusing to let the messy start shake their confidence, the Maroons answered back in the bottom of the inning, plating two runs on first-year third-baseman Jennifer Simile’s RBI single off of second-year Jeanette Andresen (6–2, 4.11).

Chicago showed signs of creeping back in the fourth. After White allowed only a single hit in the top of the inning, the Maroons tagged on another run in the bottom frame, scoring fourth-year first baseman Cassie Wierenga on classmate catcher Vanessa Pineros’s sac fly to center.

After a quiet fifth, it all came crashing down for the South Siders as the sixth inning got underway. The Foresters quickly loaded the bases, and second-year shortstop Tracey Rainey knocked in two with an RBI single, immediately followed by a three-run homer by fourth-year right fielder Christy Condon.

The long ball was the nail in the coffin for White, who was replaced on the mound by first-year righty Christy Corfias. After allowing a single to Forester second-year third baseman Mallory Norton, Corfias induced a 6–4–3 double play to end the five-run inning.

After the bloody frame, the Maroons managed to eke out two more runs on a two-run homer by first-year third-baseman Caitlin Romano, but it wasn’t enough to catch up with the visitors. A scoreless seventh sealed the loss.

“I guess it’s disappointing that when our offense has produced, we’ve made errors,” Pineros said. “But we’re not concerned with the errors, because we can get better about them.”

Jacobson’s leadoff blast in the nightcap put the Maroons on the board first for the second time, but again, they fell behind after the early lead. But this time, enthused by a late rally and backed by crisper glove work, the squad pulled out a win.

Going the distance for her fifth win of the season, second-year Kathleen Duffy (5–6, 4.57) gave up three earned runs on three hits in the second inning. Chicago answered back in the third with a two-run double by Lenson.

For the next two innings, the Foresters would stay one step ahead of the Maroons, scoring a run each inning, first on an error by White at third during the fourth, and then on a solo homer by Condon in the fifth. In the bottom of the fourth, White made up for the error with a double to plate Jacobson, tying things up at 4–4.

Entering the bottom of the sixth trailing Lake Forest by a run, 5–4, Chicago made its final push. With runners on second and third and one out, first-year Lori Knapp, who replaced Simile at left field before her first at-bat, rocketed a two-RBI double to knock Forester starter fourth-year Kendra Grant (6–6, 3.32) out of the game. First-year Gretchen Galasek took the mound to provide relief, only to give up a single and two successive walks, plating Knapp for the Maroons’ seventh run.

With a comfortable three-run lead, Duffy sealed Lake Forest’s fate with a one-two-three seventh, notching her second complete game in the past week.

“We’re taking it one out at a time, one pitch at a time, one at bat at a time, and not taking anything for granted,” Lenson said.

With six games across three road doubleheaders remaining, the Maroons will have to bring solid fieldwork together with stable pitching and offensive production in order to inch closer to the .500 mark. Facing the prospects of its first losing season in six years, it’s crunch time for Chicago.

“We’re excited, and we can definitely win all six [remaining games],” Pineros said. “We’re not looking at our record, but just focusing on each game.”

Home not so sweet for slumping baseball

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:47:00 -0500

The baseball team’s strong start in Arizona seems farther away than Phoenix after a string of three losses to sub-.500 teams has left the Maroons looking for answers with eight games remaining this season.

A 12–7 loss to North Central (16–16) Wednesday night dropped the Maroons to 6–9 on the year after a 10–2 loss suffered at the hands of Elmhurst (10–19) Tuesday.

“We have a very talented team this year, and I think we are all surprised that we are having difficulty,” third-year pitcher Alex Gallan said. “Much of the focus thus far has been on trying to capture the right mindset or intensity we need to win.”

The struggles that the Maroons have faced all season continued when Elmhurst came to town Tuesday as the Blue Jays overcame an early one-run deficit to defeat the Maroons 10–2.

Fourth-year designated hitter Dominik Meyer knocked across the Maroons’ first run as second-year Rob Serpico scored on Meyer’s one-out single in the first inning.

After just one hit in the first two innings, the Blue Jays pushed across four runs on four hits in the top of the third inning, as Elmhurst scored in five of the final seven innings of the game.

The Maroons seemed to be putting together a rally in the sixth inning, as Meyer and third-year first-baseman Schmitt singled to put runners at the corners with no outs. Fourth-year righ fielder Nate Ginsberg sacrificed Meyer home, but it would prove to be the final run of the night for Chicago, as the South Siders managed just two hits in the remainder of the game.

Second-year pitcher Peter Childs picked up the win for the Blue Jays, giving up two runs on eights hits over five innings. Meanwhile, first-year pitcher Dan McConologue fell to 1–2 after pitching 4.2 innings and giving up seven runs on nine hits.

The Maroons went back to the drawing board Wednesday when North Park came to town but were once again unable to retain an early lead as the Vikings capitalized on seven Chicago errors for a 12–7 victory.
After going down 1–0 in the second, the Maroons responded with a run of their own to tie the game in the bottom half of that inning, before taking control with two runs in the third.

First-year shortstop Nick Fazzari’s single pushed Schmitt across for the South Siders’ first run, and a Viking error helped fourth-year third-baseman Mike Serio and Meyer to come across in the third.

The Vikings, however, responded quickly, scoring four runs in the fourth inning as first-year pitcher Marshall Oium threw three wild pitches in the frame.

Down 6–4 in the sixth inning, third-year catcher Scott Hofer’s leadoff double sparked a three-run rally as the Vikings committed two errors, allowing Hofer, Meyer, and Ginsberg to score.

Errors would bite both teams, though, as Chicago went on to commit three in what would prove to be the decisive seventh inning.

“The errors certainly hurt us in the seventh inning. It is definitely tough to deal with that as a pitcher, but that is part of the job description,” Gallan, who dropped to 1–2 with the loss, said. “You have to keep your cool on the mound and stay focused, because as soon as you lose your poise, you won’t be giving up any more easy errors, they will all be line walks and line drives.”

The first error came with two men on with no outs, allowing North Park to tie the game at seven apiece. After the Maroons secured the first out, two more errors would allow North Park to plate five more runners before an inning-ending double play.

Chicago would be unable to recover in the final innings as the Vikings allowed just one base runner for the Maroons in that span, coming on an error in the ninth.

“We aren’t making errors, rolling over the ball, and leaving pitches over the plate by luck; there are mechanical flaws behind these outcomes,” Gallan said. “I know we have the ability to play well, we just need to do a better job of identifying these problems and making the slight adjustments.”

Chicago has blown leads in five games this season, including each of the last three.

The Maroons will play Wash U (11–10) Saturday morning in Ohio.

Men’s tennis slams Tigers in regular season finale

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 01:39:00 -0500

For their final tuneup before their season’s grand finale, men’s tennis showed up firing on all cylinders.

Playing at home Monday on the Stagg Field Courts, the 21st-ranked Maroons (12–6) breezed by Olivet Nazarene, the 19th-ranked team in NAIA tennis. The victory makes four in a row for Chicago, which has only played twice since returning from its trip to Hilton Head, SC over spring break. The Tigers picked up their second loss of the year, dropping to 5–2 after opening the season on a five-match win streak.

On the singles side of the competition, the Maroons got top performances and convincing wins from several players. Fourth-year Bharath Sithian, who played in the six spot, beat Aaron Gregory, going 6–3, 6–1 to send the third-year packing in straight sets.

“It’s nice to see Bharath finish strong,” head coach Marty Perry said. “He was playing in his final match on his home court.”

Working out of the fifth position, second-year Maroon staffer Steve Saltarelli scored a win over first-year Michael Chamberlain, pulling out the first set 6–4 and then cruising 6–0 in the second.

Even though he wound up winning, the trend was just the opposite for first-year Mark Bonner during his match in the fourth notch. After taking his first set against second-year Mark Bell by a tally of 6–1, the Tigers player picked up the pace and only lost the second set by two games, 6–4.

Chicago got yet another straight-set win from second-year Lado Bakhutashvili, who was up against fourth-year Hector Sanchez. Sanchez managed to keep the first set close, only losing 6–4, but the wheels fell off after that, and Bakhutashvili did not drop a single game in the second set.

“Lado played really well at the three,” Perry said.

In the Maroons’ lone loss in singles play, first-year Tim Walsh narrowly fell to fellow first-year Hugo Moriya 3–6, 6–4, 1–0. Having faltered in the first set, Walsh came back to win the second and push the super tiebreaker to the very brink, losing by just two points, 10–8.

But Chicago’s top player, first-year Will Zhang, continued the squad’s winning ways, even though his W didn’t come easy. Zhang came through in the first set, garnering a 6–4 victory over third-year Uyapo Nleya, but let the Tigers top player take the next set into a 6–6 tie. Facing the prospect of a super tiebreaker, Zhang held tough and picked up the regular tiebreaker 7–4, wrapping up the match and securing his win.

In doubles play, the Maroons were equally dominant, taking two out of three matches off of the Tigers. Bonner and Sithian teamed up on Gregory and Sanchez, downing the hapless pair by a final count of 8–0.

Just as impressive was the win Saltarelli and first-year Paul Namkoong recorded against Chamberlain and Nleya. Namkoong, who isn’t a regular fixture on the court for Chicago, came in as a sub and held his own, working with Saltarelli to beat the stout Olivet duo 8–6.

“Paul did a good job for us coming off the bench,” Perry said.

The Tigers did top the Maroons in one doubles match. Bell and Moriya brought their A-games, and Bakhutashvili and Walsh couldn’t keep up, eventually losing the match 8–2.

Overall, though, it was a good day for Chicago. Before Monday’s match, the team had dropped three in a row to Olivet, losing to the Tigers in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 seasons. The 2005 and 2006 matches were especially tight, with the Maroons falling 4–3 each time, and this year’s showdown gave them a shot to get payback.

“They’re usually pretty good. We’ve always had close matches, and they’re always ranked,” Perry said. “So it was good that we ended up doing pretty well.”

None of the Chicago players who appeared in Monday’s match played in the 2006 edition, and Perry credited the Maroons’ improved performance to an infusion of young blood.

“The addition of the new players has really raised our level of play,” Perry said.

The lone drawback to the relatively easy win is that the team may not go into this weekend’s UAA Championships as prepared as possible.

“We’ve not been tested in a while, and we haven’t lost in while,” Perry said. “I hope we’ll be able to pick up the momentum as the week goes along.”