The Colorado Buffaloes club baseball team played an inter-squad scrimmage on Saturday at Scott Carpenter Field.
The team is currently without a coach, causing upperclassmen to step up and take charge. Vice President Nathan Hoffman was up for the task. He pulled everyone together before the scrimmage to get them on the same page and to start the season off on a good note. Despite the lack of coaches, Hoffman is optimistic about his team.
“I like where our guys are," Hoffman said. "Overall, where we are right now is a better spot than we were last fall… It’s always been a player lead program, now it’s just more so than ever because we don’t have those coaches."
The exhibition match was only four innings long and acted as a practice. Many of these guys have not played during the offseason, which showed in the first two innings.
Both pitchers combined for six walks and three stolen bases allowed in the first inning while each tacking on a strikeout. Despite neither side tallying a hit their first time up the game was tied at two runs apiece after six outs.
As the game progressed both sides pitched more accurately and started putting the ball in play more constantly.
In the bottom of the third inning, pitcher Matt Longstreet took the mound. He forced two quick flyouts and struck out the third batter of the inning looking, all within about ten pitches. Longstreet looked like he was in mid-season form.
Longstreet took the mound again in the bottom of the fourth looking to pitch another shutout inning. Things didn't go as planned. Longstreet allowed five base runners in the bottom half of the last inning, three of which were able to step on home.
Although that second inning got away from Longstreet, he kept a positive attitude heading into the fall ball season.
“It’s honestly better to end on bad terms, so I get more of a little edge and chip on the shoulder going into the next couple of weeks,” Longstreet said.
The bats woke up in the last two innings as both squads were able to get a couple of hits. The final tally on the scoreboard showed eight total runs and seven total hits.
The Buffs have two weeks of practice before they open up their fall ball season at home against Air Force on September 27. Catch the game on our YouTube channel at Sko Buffs Sports.
Cover photo by Remi Krupinski/Sko Buffs Sports
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