Cannons vs. Woodstock River Bandits Recap
By: Lauren Fulton
Adversity is an interesting concept every athlete must face at some point in their
career. It’s impossible to be completely perfect in everything you do, especially in
baseball. People like to say it’s a game of failure, but I happen to think it’s a game of
opportunity. There’s an opportunity in failure to be better than you were before,
regardless of your performance on any given day. The great thing about this game is
that there will always be another chance to be better than you were before. The
Cannons lost their first game of the season against the Woodstock River Bandits 9-2.
They faced adversity for the first time in their season, but now there is an opportunity
to learn from the mistakes made on the field and bounce back to take on the next set
of challenges this week both at home and on the road.
Pitching for the Cannons was right-handed pitcher Isaac Kolpachick, (JR; Elgin
Community College), who gave up 6 hits and 4 runs in his 3-inning appearance. He
recently hit a new personal velocity record, hitting 94 mph during the Cannons
exhibition game. First in relief for the Cannons was Jaxson Dalena, (SO; Shippensburg
University), who pitched for 3 innings and allowed just 1 hit and no runs. After holding
the River Bandits to just 4 runs, Will Ricketts, (JR; Frostburg State University) gave up 6
hits and 5 runs, putting the River Bandits ahead to a 9-2 lead. Alberto McCarthy, (SR;
Erskine College), came in for final relief, allowing no hits and no runs to finish off the
game.
The defense for the game had Jose Torres, (University of Louisiana Lafayette) behind
the plate, with MJ Rodriguez, (SO; University of Texas Kingsville) at first, Keegan
Knuston, (SO; San Jacinto College North) at second, Michael McKinney, (FR; West
Virginia University), and Mikey Brinton, (University of Arkansas Fort Smith) at third.
Rounding off the defense with the outfielders was Necumba Booker Jr., (JR; Montreat
College) in left field, Caleb Stewart, (JR; Georgia State University) in center, and Joseph
Eichelberger, (JR; Paul D Camp), in right field. Although it wasn’t the best game
defensively, the boys are confident that they will be able to bounce back and make the
proper adjustments necessary in the upcoming week.
Offensively there wasn’t much to note at the plate. The Cannons recorded 4 hits and
were able to manufacture 2 runs as a result. Recording those hits were Mikey Brinton,
Ryne Guida, (SR; Florida International University), Jose Torres, and MJ Rodriguez, all of
who recorded 1 hit individually on the night.
As I said before, there are plenty of opportunities for failure, and the Cannons know
that. Although it wasn’t the best outing as a team, they are confident in their ability to
rally back from their adversity and move forward towards their collective goal of
winning. The Cannons return back to Fireman’s Field on Tuesday, June 6th to take on
the Culpeper Cavaliers at 7:00 pm – we look forward to seeing you come to show your
support!