Spring is definitely here—and the Tartan Pride baseball team is busting out the brooms—on the field of course.
Sinclair swept Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) foe Lakeland Community College for what boosts the Pride’s first place OCCAC record to 10-2.
Head coach Steve Dintaman said earlier in the season that it would take 18 wins to bring the conference championship home to Sinclair for the fourth straight season. And with the team already more than halfway to that benchmark, Dintaman couldn’t be any happier with his squad.
“It’s always nice [to get a sweep] on the road,” Dintaman said. “They’ve been locked in and they’ve been doing a great job.”
The sweep of Lakeland had its fair share of highlights, including two furious comebacks, a shut-out and a no-hitter.
In game one of the trip to Cleveland, Sinclair doubled up Lakeland 10-5 after the Pride pounded out 13 hits, the majority of which came in the final frame as Sinclair scored six runs to steal a victory from the Lakers.
“In the first game we played really well offensively,” Dintaman said.
Game two was dominated by Sinclair’s Ian Creager. He struck out six Lakers, over six scoreless innings leaving no chance for Lakeland to make a comeback. Sinclair won the game easily 10–0.The win pushed Creager’s pitching record to 3-1 on the season.
The third game was much closer than the previous two games, with four lead changes and lots of hits from both teams. But in the end, Sinclair stepped up to the plate when it mattered most and brought home another win with the final score of 7-6.
“Game three was a challenge, we were down pretty much the whole game,” Dintaman said. “But our guys found a way to get big hits in key spots. It was a huge win clinching the series for us.”
The fourth and final game of the trip was the greatest for any Sinclair pitcher this year as Corey Johnson threw his first no-hitter of his collegiate career. The final score was Sinclair 11, Lakeland 1.
“He [Johnson] was locked in for game four,” Dintaman said. “There was no one even talking to him, he was so focused in the dugout. He knew he had a no hitter the whole time. After we got the last out, he was very excited. He deserves whatever he gets, he’s worked hard.”
Dintaman credits the team’s focus over the weekend to their “no excuses mentality,”— something that could potentially become costly for the coach.
“We have an excuse jar, to where if they make an excuse, they have to give up a dollar,” Dintaman said. “So far I owe two dollars.”
The Pride returned from Cleveland with an overall record at 27-11, giving them a four-game cushion in conference. Dintaman said the next two series could have them celebrating another conference championship.
“We still need to take it one game at a time,” Dintaman said. “But if we win both of those series I can see ourselves as conference champs.”
- Sun. Jul 21st, 2024