The College of DuPage baseball team got stopped in their tracks by Kankakee Community College on April 18 at home. The Cavaliers’ bullpen wouldn’t let the Chaparrals get to work offensively, throwing 15 total strikeouts through both games of their doubleheader. Unable to fight back, COD dropped both games, losing the first 4-2 and the second 11-4. These losses ended their six-game winning streak, and the Chaps now sit with a 13-15 record.
“It’s just baseball,” assistant coach Matt Gould said. “We played good baseball, but the pitchers on [Kankakee] were really good. We were challenged for a day, and on this day, we didn’t rise to the occasion. Today doesn’t define what we’ve been doing in the last week, and we’re just ready to get back at it.”
Sophomore outfielder Aden Aukland, who served as the designated hitter in both games, made six total at-bats. He recorded one hit, scored two runs and walked once. He said the team will play in difficult situations in the postseason, and they need to know how to come back from them.
“Playing good teams like this all week is preparing us for the playoffs,” Aukland said. “Being in those close games with these good teams is also preparing us really well. Last year in the playoffs, all of our games were pretty close and within a few runs.”
Sophomore utility Quinn Flanagan struck out three times in seven at-bats through both games. At second base, he put out seven runners and made seven assists. He recognized the skill of Kankakee’s bullpen but is ready to bounce back.
“We can tip our caps to those arms that they had,” Flanagan said. “All of them were attacking early. A lot of our hitters found themselves behind in counts. It sucks, but it’s all about how we respond. We’ll grab two [wins] on Saturday and get our heater going again.”
Freshman infielder Jack Wade recorded one hit and struck out once in seven total at-bats. He put out 13 total runners at first base. Even after playing seven games in five days, he said fatigue doesn’t excuse losses.
“We’ve just got to hit and field,” Wade said. “Get those [stats] up, and we’ll start winning more games. Baseball doesn’t care if you’re sore, you’ve just got to come out and do your best. If we face good competition, it’s our job to step up.”
In seven total at-bats, sophomore catcher Filip Milatovic struck out three times. He put out eight runners in the field. He said it comes down to fixing little mistakes to respond and win.
“We’re not going to make any excuses, we’ve just got to hit the ball better,” Milatovic said. “There were a couple of defensive miscues early, and that set us back. We could’ve come out with a little more energy, but the Cavs are a good team. They have good arms. We’ll be alright, we just need to come back with a sense of urgency.”
The Chaps take on the Milwaukee Area Technical College Stormers in a doubleheader with the first game starting at 12 p.m. on April 20 in Milwaukee, Wis.
