Lakeland College

Day 5: Fort Myers, Fla.

Athletics - posted on 3/17/2009

Assistant director of sports information Chris Lindeke brings you daily coverage from Port Charlotte and Fort Myers, Fla., where the Lakeland baseball team will play 12 games in seven days between Sunday, March 15, and Saturday, March 21.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - It was a tough day for the Lakeland baseball team.

The Muskies dropped a pair of heartbreakers to Scranton today on a cool, overcast and misty night at Terry Park.

A couple of nuggets from my observations at today's games:

The second game, an 11-inning, 3-hour, 52-minute marathon, was especially gut wrenching. Sophomore pitcher Jeremy Williams put up a heck of an effort, tossing 4 2/3 innings of relief. He nearly got a well-deserved win, but was called for a balk in the top of the seventh with a man on third base.
Sophomore first baseman Cal Post nearly had two home runs on the day. In Game 1, Post hit the base of the fence in left center, which he turned into a triple to put the Muskies ahead (that's him after the hit pictured below). His shot in Game 2 was a laser to deep left, which appeared to hit the top of the fence. He ended up with a double.
Junior third baseman Doug Novak is off to a hot start at the plate for the Muskies. Novak had four more hits in the two games today and is hitting a robust .450 for the spring break trip. His twin brother, David, the team's catcher, is not far behind. David is hitting .400 through the Lakeland's first five games.
The weather got pretty bad (for Florida), especially during the second game. It was overcast with a light rain mist for most of the game, with the rain getting heavier at certain spots. Temperatures probably dipped to somewhere in the 60s, which felt pretty cold after two full days of 85 degrees and sunny.

There wasn't much activity other than baseball today with the doubleheader scheduled.

Assistant coach Matthew Andrews and I led the team's pitchers on a morning jog. Half of the group was allowed to cut out at the 20-minute mark, while the rest of the group continued on for a full 40 minutes.

That is one hot sun, even if it is at 9:30 in the morning. It felt great to jump in the pool after that run.

A big thanks to student manager Megan Andrews and athletic trainer Garth Laszinski. They have been snapping the photos that have appeared on this blog so far. The three below are from Megan.

Tomorrow is set to be a long day for the Muskies. The team has games at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. against Babson and Bethel, respectively, as well as a JV game against Bethel's JV squad at 5 p.m.

I will try to post another blog tomorrow, but can't guarantee it. Check back later tomorrow night for game scores and recaps.