Playing with the big boys

CSM baseball team makes most of experience against Blue Crabs

Friday, April 24, 2009

The College of Southern Maryland shortstop led off Tuesday's unique exhibition matchup with a line-drive single to left-center field against former longtime Major Leaguer John Halama, whose stuff might have him back in the Big Leagues at some point this year after excelling in Triple-A in the Cleveland Indians organization a season ago.

August's Hawks were at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf to provide the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs one final tune-up 48 hours before the second-year organization was set to open their season at home in the Atlantic League. The Blue Crabs' inaugural home opener Thursday finished too late for inclusion into this edition.

Lefty Halama, whose 16-year-old professional resume includes a 56-48 Major League pitching tab with seven teams in nine seasons, started the Blue Crabs' first-ever home game last year with an impressive outing that led to victory. He was 4-1 with a stingy 1.91 earned run average for the Blue Crabs, among the league's best pitchers, when the Indians signed him last May.

So the contest could not have started much better for August and his fellow junior college Joes in their pursuit to hang with the independent minor league pros.

"The first pitch he gave me was a good change-up and I swung and missed. The next pitch was a fastball, and he got it a little bit up," August said of the Halama offering that he stroked for a base hit. "As soon as it went off the bat, I knew it was a hit.

"I got a hit off a Major Leaguer. If I never break in anywhere [professionally], I can still say I got a hit off someone of his stature."

August barely had time to celebrate his career moment when reality quickly set in.

As if to say, ‘Game on,' the crafty Halama whipped a toss over to first base and picked off August for the first out of the game and epitomize the disparity between the levels of the two teams in what was a 17-0 runaway win for the Blue Crabs.

"It didn't seem like a normal pickoff move," said the speedy August. "It seemed like a move from someone that was a lot better than me. I wasn't trying to steal. I was just flat-footed, and he got me. I didn't hear, ‘Back!'[from my teammates and coaches] until after I was picked off. Usually, I can hear them say, ‘Back!' while I'm sliding back to first. So I'm pretty sure the whole stadium got fooled. [Halama] has the same exact motion when he goes home as when he goes to first. With his arm strength, the ball got there [to first] quick. At my [junior college] level, the ball is not on us that quick."

CSM head coach Joe Blandford added about August getting picked off, "I just said, ‘Welcome to a Big League move, buddy.' I give the pitcher all the credit for that. It shows the difference in the levels of the teams. August was not trying to steal. He was not cheating."

Blue Crabs leadoff batter and center fielder Jeremy Owens was impressed with how August singled on a well-placed pitch from Halama.

"The guy hit a good fastball away and lined it over the shortstop's head," said Owens, who had thoughts about giving Halama a hard time when he yielded the single to start the game. "[August] was just getting a little ahead of himself [when he got picked off]. I sure he was high and got a little bit excited.

"It was a great learning experience for him."

This was no ordinary lopsided outcome for the Hawks, who came away with their heads held high after the productive experience against a Blue Crabs club that has its eye on the Atlantic League crown.

The Hawks nearly scored in the first inning thanks to three hits, getting a pair of the infield variety from Joe Saverino and Nick Sydnor (Northern) after August was picked off. It wasn't the first time CSM took the field at Regency Furniture Stadium. The Hawks have played the majority of their home schedule at the Blue Crabs' home.

"We just wanted to have a little bit of fun with [the Blue Crabs] and give them some competition going into their season," said Blandford, who afforded each of his players at least two to three innings in the field with everyone getting an at-bat. "It was the first time we used wooden bats all year. To be realistic, we didn't expect to win when you're a college team going against professionals. It's something we'll remember, being on a bigger stage than we normally play on."

Blandford used four pitchers against the Blue Crabs. The game was called after 7 1/2 innings and was not played totally according to standard rules. The Blue Crabs batted through their entire lineup in the first three innings, scoring six in the first, five in the second and four in the third, without making three outs but sent no more than 10 men to the plate in any of those frames.

CSM's Ryan Neeley (Lackey) pitched a perfect fifth with two strikeouts, both swinging, to highlight his team in the field.

"We took it pretty serious. It was a good learning experience to see where we are," said CSM starting pitcher Ryan Harris, who had to fight through nerves in the first inning when he walked the first two batters to set the table for the Blue Crabs' big inning. "It was nerve-wracking, because I've never really been on a big stage like that. I felt like I had good stuff, just my control was not there. They are grown men at the plate, and that's pretty nerve-wracking for a 19-year-old kid."

dcogle@somdnews.com