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The Woodstock Academy baseball team went on vacation as a unit to Myrtle Beach during spring break.
But baseball was still part of the equation.
The Centaurs played four games and lost three of them, but in the only game that will count toward their record, the Centaurs downed Westbrook, Maine, 11-1, in South Carolina last week.
“I think it was tough to focus sometimes, the venue was a little distracting for the kids. The one positive thing was that when we weren’t playing, we practiced several times so we got a lot of baseball in,” said Woodstock Academy coach Brian Murphy. “We have a certain format that we follow in practice and it was a grind. Altogether, it was something that some kids had never experienced before. I think our team will grow from it. It was a little bit of a distraction and flipping that switch from having a little fun to baseball.”
Luke Mathewson was the winning pitcher against Westbrook as he went six innings and did not yield an earned run.
The senior allowed only seven hits and struck out nine.
He helped his own cause with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate including a double. He knocked in three runs for the 6-2 Centaurs.
Doug Newton and Jonathan Smith each added two RBIs for the Centaurs in a bounce-back victory.
“It was a good win,” Murphy said. “We had lost in our first game down there to Greenfield High School of North Carolina in a tough game.”
Tommy Li pitched a three-hitter in that game but the Centaurs came up short, 2-1.
“The game against Westbrook was important to us so I went with what I considered was our best chance to win the game and that was with Luke (4-0) on the mound and the lineup that we have been going with,” Murphy said.
While the Centaurs (6-2) did lose the rest of their scrimmages, it also gave Murphy a chance to see some players who have not seen as much playing time.
“It allowed us the opportunity to get some kids in there and get a chance to look at them and see what their role can be or will be for the rest of the season,” Murphy said.
The 14-hour bus ride down and back also gave the Centaurs a very good chance for some team bonding.
“The bus ride alone is testing for anybody,” Murphy said. “That’s why when we play games; I make the players take the bus home. It’s about team and not only creating the team bond for the season, but it’s also about memories they will have after Woodstock Academy.”
The Centaurs return home to a full schedule.
They had games scheduled for Fitch in Groton April 22 and home against Ellis Tech on April 23. They go back on the road against Bacon Academy April 24 and will be home at the Bentley Athletic Complex versus Waterford April 26.
“I gave them the weekend off because they did get a tremendous amount of reps between games and practices. Now, we’re right back at it. We know we have to perform to be successful. We have to execute the basics of baseball and if we do that, we have a good chance of competing at the highest level. We have to scrap. We have to pitch well, field well and have timely hitting,” Murphy said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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