On Tuesday, May 1, the University of Chicago baseball team lost a hard-fought battle to the DI Flames of University of Illinois in Chicago, coming up short with a score of 6–3. The loss marked the end of the team’s five-game winning streak, and put them at an overall record of 22–10. Third-year duo Brady Sarkon and Josh Parks led the offense for the Maroons with one home run each. Fourth-year Max Larsen, third-year Connor Hickey, second-year Payton Jancsy, and first-year Brian Lyle also contributed with one hit each. Although they came up short in the end, the team is proud of the way they played.
Parks commented on the team’s performance on Tuesday. “I thought we attacked well early in the count, but to score runs we have to get guys on base and we could not seem to do that consistently,” Parks said. “I thought we threw the ball as well as I have seen us all year,” he said. “From top to bottom, I thought the pitching staff gave us a great chance to win, and that’s all we can ask for.”
The Maroons are ready to redeem themselves, and, with their upcoming schedule, they will definitely get a chance to do so. The squad will play four games in two days this weekend in Grinnell, Iowa. On Saturday, May 5, the team will play Luther College at 1 p.m., and Grinnell College at 4 p.m. They will then play a doubleheader against Grinnell on Sunday, May 6, with a game at noon and a game at 3 p.m. The Maroons played Grinnell College once before in the beginning of their season, winning 16–0 in seven innings. However, they know a lot can change over the course of the season, so they are not underestimating their abilities.
The squad is working hard every day in practice to prepare. Focusing on themselves and honing their skills has been the priority. First-year catcher Jake Fauske commented on the team’s preparation: “We’ve been focusing on playing small ball this week and mastering the little things to ensure we play as a well-oiled machine this weekend,” he said. “We will need our pitchers to keep us in the games so that our offense can attack.”
Parks echoed his teammate’s sentiments, saying, “Looking ahead to this weekend, if the pitching staff can continue to give us good outings, the offense is going to find ways to get them run support. Despite the loss against UIC, I love the way we are playing right now and I think we are all ready to get back out there.”
This weekend will be an exciting and busy weekend for the Maroons, and their performance will determine their fate for the rest of the season looking ahead into postseason. The hard work they have put in all season relies heavily on these few games.
