Tigers split 4-game series with Randall University
The Champion Christian College Tigers hosted Randall University in a doubleheader Friday at Majestic Park before finishing up the four-game series Saturday at Bryant’s Bishop Park.
The Tigers split Friday’s doubleheader at Babe Ruth Field, taking the first game 6-3, before falling in the second, 3-2. Picking up another another win Saturday, the Tigers improved to 11-15 on the season.
Champion head coach Don Schultheis said the team’s energy level is up and the pitchers are throwing strikes.
“Jeremy Miller, our first baseman, continues just to hit the cover off the ball,” he said. “It has been an incredibly frustrating time for him because it has been the kind of thing where he hit it so hard and for the last seven or eight games, right at people. Last game, the pitcher like did this (behind the back) on a line drive and snagged it.
“It has just been a lot of that. Jeremy’s playing very well. He probably is the best defensive center fielder in the conference, and I think I am not exaggerating. Brandon Boudreaux and Jeremy Miller, they are playing well.”
Champion pitcher Chanler Guidry, a junior from Houma, La., threw 112 pitches in 7 1/3 innings during the first game.
Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Champion went up 4-3 after brilliant base running by Robert Cormier, Christian Thomas, and Boudreaux. The Tigers added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Schultheis said there were not a lot of bright spots in game two Friday, however. The Tigers had a chance in the bottom of the seventh inning but could not reach base. Schultheis said the team must figure out how to get a big hit when needed.
“The second game, we just did not get any timely hitting,” he said. “At times we still have a refusal to buy into smallball because we get ‘me’ more important than ‘we.’ We definitely had our opportunities; we did not bunt well. That cost us, and our only option is just to suck it up and come back to Bryant (Saturday) for two more against them and beat them like we should.”
Schultheis said his team is built to play smallball.
“They have been well coached and they have been well prepared,” he said of his team. “Just are having a hard time
with their approach. We have still got way too many, way too many daddy hacks going on with two strikes. Our inability to bunt. Our pitching was killing us, but I think we conquered that.”
A stand up double to right field by Thomas in the bottom of the fifth inning in game two gave the Tigers a runner in scoring position. Boudreaux hit a sacrifice fly ball, advancing Thomas to third. Champion led 2-0 a sacrifice fly by Miller to score Thomas.
“When you flirt with a one run lead, you are just asking for trouble,” he said. “And when you flirt with even a 2-0 lead, when you are leaving 8-10 guys on base, that is a real issue.”
Schultheis said in order for the team to improve, its approach has to be better at the plate.
“We have got to come up with a way. Our leadership has got to come up with a way to develop more solid, timely hitting to do a job. Do a job to get a guy over, to get a guy to hit a fly ball, whatever it takes,” he said.
The Tigers travel to Springdale on Friday for a four-game series against Ecclesia College.