Back here with Jim Penders after Ukont's victory over Army West Points. Uh, we'll get to the big picture in a moment. But boy, you go into the eighth inning, first two guys out, then suddenly six guys of the play. You finish seven or fourteen with two out hits today, that'll win you a few ball games.
Yeah, and it covers up a lot of sins. You get the two out RBIs And that eighth was, you know, it was really good. After the first two at bats were terrible from Root and Padia, and then and then Connor Lane hits it, you know, hits a ball on the screws and then you couldn't make it out there for a little bit, and it was great. I mean, Spur was a little dinged up with the wrist. He wasn't quite feeling it with his swing. Fortunately the right guy hit the the forty foot ground ball because he's
going to beat that out every time. And but everybody else in that inning, I mean, my lord, they hit hit the ball hard. It was good to see one of their better guys came in with some velocity and we got to it. So, I mean Lane and then MacArthur Ready to hit a two zero fastball for a two out. RBI Biller hits a ball on the screws, Robbie Rispoli works a tough walk and spurs and field single. Then Daniels just didn't miss it. He got the game ball tonight. He was locked in last couple of nights.
He's been really good.
Yeah, what have you seen in his transformation over the last few years?
You know, I think when he first got here, you know, he's still he still gets under a lot. But what I've seen from him, I mean, I think he just plays with a lot of confidence. That that has That's been the case since he arrived. I mean even as a freshman, he played with a lot of confidence. He's given a tough at that We've had to move him
around a little bit. Defensively, he's been limited. His mobility is not quite as good as it was, you know, a couple of years ago, and he's still kind of I think working back in with the hip, you know, being able to move side to side. However, I mean his offense, I mean more than makes up for any any deficit on defense. I mean he can He's going to drive in a lot more than he lets in and on defense. You know, he can be a heady
player too. He had a big time pickoff last night, big time timing pickoff with with Ian Cook when Cook was struggling there a little bit, and and he picked the absolute right time to do it in Mexican and then Ian executed it with Ryan. But he's a baseball player and I enjoy watching him play. He's he's he he's a big personality as well. And you know, obviously really comfortable in the batting in the batter's box right now.
You got some decent pitching today into tonight. That was one of your concerns we talked about on Saturday. Hutchinson gave you Tune a third good inning. Spurito gave you a decent inning. Caruso Abadessa right down the line, did some pretty good stuff for you today. Guys that haven't pitched a lot late right right.
You know, we had kind of a little Kumbia meeting with some pictures on Monday. Coach Mac got under the hood a little bit. It's tough to tough to really work with guys when we're playing so many games. But with Easter Sunday when it was we had the off day a day earlier, and that allowed for some quality work in the bullpen. I think coach Mack was out there from like eleven until four with different shifts of guys coming through. So did some work, you know, on
the mental side and executing some pitches. He uncovered a couple of things for a couple of guys and then they executed tonight. I mean, you saw Kyle Peters have a really good outing last night. He hadn't pitched in ages. Jude Abidest has been working on some things on the side, and it worked tonight. I thought he got some good swings and misses. His stuff look electric from the from the dugout, it was really sinking, and you know, I
liked what I saw from him and Caruso. You know, we charged him with getting lefties out, and he finally had some lefties look really uncomfortable against them. Three of the four guys he faced were left handed, so that bodes well heading down the stretch here, Hutchinson kind of settled in and you said it, yeah, Spirito, I thought solid outing, you know, solid and uh, you know he'll be on the trip this weekend. He earned his way, you know, with just giving up one run, you're you're
your way onto the onto the weekend travel list. But no, I think he has a future. I mean it, ball was coming out of the hand pretty well, uh tonight from him. And and you know, I thought the pictures that came out of the pen for the second night in a row, everybody came out of the pen. I thought that a solid job. Even you know, Hector's getting ready there in a pinch. We've got aft them ready to.
Go and there here trying to get him ready wasn't fair to him, but he's not going.
To turn it down. He's a competitor. He wanted to get every he wants to soak up every opportunity he gets. And and he did. He did his job tonight too, Jim.
Now the weekend, Saint John's ahead on the road.
Yeah, I mean never never an easy place to play in Jamaica. You know they've got it going a little bit. They they got right, I think yesterday with a dramatic uh walk off against Rutgers, against a solid Rutgers team. So uh, they're very tough at home and they you know, they have always competed. I mean back to I remember watching games, Uh, you know, at Jail Christian Field in the in the nineteen eighties, and it's been a long time rival. Saint John's been a long time rival of us.
So it's gonna be a you know, a nice ride down hopefully tomorrow we'll get a practice in and leaving hopefully after the traffic in the morning and get down there and plenty of time to check in and get a good workout. So looking forward to it. And you know, it's it's got a lot on the line too. We're both battling for first place.
This made sound goofy because you've won ten straight, But do you feel like you're playing your best baseball of the season as a whole or is there still a long way to go?
No, we have a long long way to go. I mean our infield defense tonight, you shot, you saw some some flaws. Certainly. You know, we have moved guys around. I mean, we've got guys with wrists and thumbs and fingers and you know, and we're getting to the point now where it's like, all right, well, we've got to kind of you know, you got to bite down and try to get through it. And I know we have the right mentality to do that, and we haven't had to do it until now, So I'm gonna see guys
back in some regular positions. I think this weekend. It looks like and you know, like we couldn't catch Garbowski tonight. He's nursing a finger, which he needed the day just so that if we had to play two on Friday, he'll be available to go. And you're trying to manage kind of games ahead, Tyler Minnick. You know we were able to get him swinging a little bit today. It looks like you'll hopefully be able to go on Friday as well. Needed a couple of days off, so then
spur things up his hand today. So we got a guy hitting the face and the dugout. Who's fine. I don't know if Cold Taylor's parents were listening, but he's fine.
Well, we didn't know who.
I figured I didn't know who. It was a scary moment. Yeah, he'd never never blinked and never lost consciousness and said all the right things past all the tests. That was a relief too.
All right, good to hear that. That's the luck this weekend, And thank you as always for your time.
Thanks Bob.
All Right, I have a go one