Jeff Cunningham
05-28-2007, 11:13 PM
Granby's recipe for baseball success not flashy, but tasty
By Jeff Cunningham | jcunningham@hrvarsity.com (j_cunningham_pbp@yahoo.com)
NORFOLK -- Ask just about any baseball coach the recipe for victory and they'll likely give you the same ingredients: good pitching, timely hitting and sound defense.
Mix ingredients in a diamond and let sit for seven innings.
Granby followed this recipe to near-perfection in Monday's 6-1 Eastern Region quarterfinal win over Bethel. The result? A semifinal match-up Wednesday with Kempsville and the Comets' first Eastern Region tournament win since 2001.
"I keep telling my boys it's bonus time now," Granby coach Robert Butler said. "You just never know what can happen in a regional tournament."
The Comets (20-3) scored four times in the third inning, but it wasn't just Josh Todd's two-run double to straightaway center that won the game. Nor was it Jeff Zeisler's RBI triple in the second.
What won the game was Adam Wisniewski's effort on the mound: seven innings, four hits, one run and three strikeouts. He wasn't blowing the Bruins away, but Wisniewski made sure when Bethel did lay aluminum to rawhide, the result was an easy play for the Granby defense.
"I felt great out there today, especially with my fastball and change," Wisniewski said. "That's the best combination in baseball, even better when you mix in a hard slider and a cutter."
What won the game was Granby's crisp fielding; the Comets committed just one error, when Todd mishandled a throw to first in the sixth. There were no flashy plays, no diving stops or leaping grabs worthy of a Web Gem, but Granby made the plays whenever the ball was put in play.
"I'd like to think that's what we've been doing all season," Butler said of playing sound defense. "Just about any coach preaches that, and for good reason."
What won the game was offensive efficiency; Granby didn't exactly slug the ball, but every time the Comets had a runner at or beyond second base, said runner scored. Sometimes it's better to be efficient in the batter's box than flat-out dominant.
"Everyone was on at the plate today," Wisniewski, who went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, said. "Well, everyone but me. But offense like that makes my job on the mound easier."
Logic might tell Granby to use this recipe again in the semifinals, but logic has never really been a part of baseball. The Comets discovered this May 22 when a 13th-inning wild pitch gave them a 3-2 win and the Eastern District tournament crown over Maury.
And while this recipe can be mighty enticing, Butler has a better idea for Kempsville.
"We have to do even better," he said. "No offense to Bethel, but if we play how we played today against Kempsville or Great Bridge, our season's done. We need to be sound, but more so than usual."
So does that mean he wants a recipe calling for a double batch of everything listed above? If so, the Comets could be in for a tasty treat once the Eastern Region semifinals are said and done. But a winning baseball recipe is hard to come by, and harder still to maintain.
Which makes it even sweeter when it comes out of the dugout just right.
By Jeff Cunningham | jcunningham@hrvarsity.com (j_cunningham_pbp@yahoo.com)
NORFOLK -- Ask just about any baseball coach the recipe for victory and they'll likely give you the same ingredients: good pitching, timely hitting and sound defense.
Mix ingredients in a diamond and let sit for seven innings.
Granby followed this recipe to near-perfection in Monday's 6-1 Eastern Region quarterfinal win over Bethel. The result? A semifinal match-up Wednesday with Kempsville and the Comets' first Eastern Region tournament win since 2001.
"I keep telling my boys it's bonus time now," Granby coach Robert Butler said. "You just never know what can happen in a regional tournament."
The Comets (20-3) scored four times in the third inning, but it wasn't just Josh Todd's two-run double to straightaway center that won the game. Nor was it Jeff Zeisler's RBI triple in the second.
What won the game was Adam Wisniewski's effort on the mound: seven innings, four hits, one run and three strikeouts. He wasn't blowing the Bruins away, but Wisniewski made sure when Bethel did lay aluminum to rawhide, the result was an easy play for the Granby defense.
"I felt great out there today, especially with my fastball and change," Wisniewski said. "That's the best combination in baseball, even better when you mix in a hard slider and a cutter."
What won the game was Granby's crisp fielding; the Comets committed just one error, when Todd mishandled a throw to first in the sixth. There were no flashy plays, no diving stops or leaping grabs worthy of a Web Gem, but Granby made the plays whenever the ball was put in play.
"I'd like to think that's what we've been doing all season," Butler said of playing sound defense. "Just about any coach preaches that, and for good reason."
What won the game was offensive efficiency; Granby didn't exactly slug the ball, but every time the Comets had a runner at or beyond second base, said runner scored. Sometimes it's better to be efficient in the batter's box than flat-out dominant.
"Everyone was on at the plate today," Wisniewski, who went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, said. "Well, everyone but me. But offense like that makes my job on the mound easier."
Logic might tell Granby to use this recipe again in the semifinals, but logic has never really been a part of baseball. The Comets discovered this May 22 when a 13th-inning wild pitch gave them a 3-2 win and the Eastern District tournament crown over Maury.
And while this recipe can be mighty enticing, Butler has a better idea for Kempsville.
"We have to do even better," he said. "No offense to Bethel, but if we play how we played today against Kempsville or Great Bridge, our season's done. We need to be sound, but more so than usual."
So does that mean he wants a recipe calling for a double batch of everything listed above? If so, the Comets could be in for a tasty treat once the Eastern Region semifinals are said and done. But a winning baseball recipe is hard to come by, and harder still to maintain.
Which makes it even sweeter when it comes out of the dugout just right.