On a hot and humid day at Gary Carter Field in Côte St. Luc, the McGill Redmen (7-3) were victorious in both games of their double-header against the visiting Carleton Ravens (5-3), by scores of 11-4 and 4-1.
The team had a great day at the plate, scoring 15 runs over the two games while allowing just five. However, the double-header did not begin on a good note for the Redmen and Head Coach Casey Auerbach. A controversial call at home plate that ended the first inning ignited the McGill bench, and, after a brief, heated exchange with the plate umpire, Auerbach was ejected.
The Redmen did not let the early ejection affect their spirits—the bench yelled encouragement to their teammates throughout the day—and went on to score 11 runs in the first game alone.
Second-year relief pitcher Zach Salsburg played a key role in the 11-4 game one victory: The lefty held Carleton hitless in his 2.2 innings of work and struck out two batters. First-year outfielder Chester Dixon was also a major contributor, going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs.
“[Hitting] Coach Kendel [McKenna] has been talking to me a lot,” Dixon said. “He just told me to sit back, be patient, and wait for my pitch. It definitely worked out today.”
After securing a victory in the first game, the team exhibited an aura of confidence heading into game two.
“We feel like we’re better than [Carleton],” McKenna said between games. “If we put out our best, we should win.”
Coach McKenna was proven right; the Redmen went on to win their second game of the day 4-1. Similarly to the previous game, the second began controversially. After the first inning, Carleton put the game under protest, claiming that McGill was not playing with enough Canadians in the lineup.
Nonetheless, third-year McGill starter Sam Greene pitched a complete game, allowing just four hits and striking out 11 Ravens through his seven innings of work. Greene made good use of his hard fastball and caught several batters looking with a well-located curveball.
After locking down their pair of victories, the Redmen baseball team travelled to Vermont on Sept. 16, winning both games of an exhibition double-header against the College of St. Joseph. Their next conference affair is against the Université de Montréal Carabins (4-6) on Sept. 18 at Parc Ahuntsic.
Moment of the Game
In the third inning of game one, Chester Dixon stole second base and ultimately scored thanks to an errant throw by the Carleton catcher trying to throw him out at second.
Quotable
“The team has been in a bit of a slump. We weren’t playing the brand of McGill baseball that we’re used to playing. Carleton is close to the top of the conference, too, so we wanted to come out today, play some good baseball, and come out with two big wins.” – Game two starting pitcher Sam Greene
Stat Corner
First-year third baseman Michael O’Toole starred in both games, going 4-for-5 altogether with a double, two runs batted in, and two walks.
