The Observer

Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Denton Zhou Freshman outfielder Matt Richards dives back to where Indians third baseman Mark DeRosa usually stands. The Spartans fell to Wooster, 15-5, last Thursday at Progressive Field.

It was a once- or twice-in-a-lifetime chance for most of the players on the Spartans baseball team, when they packed into three vans for the trip to their game last Thursday. Of course, the once-in-a-lifetime thing was not the fact that they traveled in white vans, nor that they were playing 11th-ranked College of Wooster. It was where they were going that was special. It was not your normal college field they were playing on that day, but Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians. Every player on the team was able to see their name on the stadium scoreboard and have their name announced over the Indians' public address system.

The game itself was a 15-5 loss, characterized by a young team making mistakes in the moment against one of the top teams in Div. III baseball. "Offensively, defensively, we just made too many mistakes to beat a good team like Wooster," said coach Matt Englander. "[We made] too many mistakes on the bases, too many mistakes defensively and not communicating, too many mistakes on the mound and not being able to put hitters away."

The team committed five errors, which not only led to five unearned runs, but extended several innings, which did not help the pitching staff. The offense had 11 hits in the game, but could not keep up with the Scots offense, which hit two home runs.

Englander relished the opportunity to play at Progressive Field. "The atmosphere was great. I thought the guys really enjoyed it," he said. "I think it's a thrill to play there. It's a chance to see what it's like inside the fence and what those guys [Indians players] go through on a daily basis."

The players themselves were proud to have played at Progressive Field. "As a kid I grew up watching Indians games at Jacobs' Field, and now to have the chance to play on the field twice has been a dream come true," said first baseman Chad Mullins. "To think about all the Major League Players that have played on that field and all the memorable games there (World Series, All-Star game, etc.) is pretty mind-boggling. It was definitely one of my favorite baseball moments."

Continued...

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