Milwaukee starter Chad Pierce pitches in the fog during game one
I have tried to get to Emory Bauer Field a couple of times this season to see Valpo play, but weather always stepped in and stopped the game. Today was the last chance that I had to see Valpo play. Looking at the forecast I thought weather would win once again. When I left my house the temperature was in the high 40’s, windy, foggy, and even raining. Who would want to watch one game in this let alone two? That would be me. The good thing about watching a game at Valpo (besides the fact it is free) is that you can watch the game from your car if you want to. I had to take advantage of that a couple of times as the rain was just too much. With warmer temps it would not have been a problem, but as cold as it was it would have been foolish to sit out in a downpour. Besides that I learned late last year during the Purdue – Michigan football game that it would behoove me to keep my camera as dry as possible.
Valpo starter Jon Gulbransen picked up the tough luck loss in game one
The first game started off quickly. Milwaukee scored a run in the first, and Valpo countered with two in the bottom of the first. The game really got out of hand in the third though when some miscues lead to four runs for the Panthers. Valpo never really recovered from that inning, and would lose game one 7-3. During the first game the rain came down a few times, but it was more of a mist than anything else. Just an annoyance. The real story of the game was the fog that kept rolling in.
The rain was really coming down in the bottom of the third
As soon as the first game ended the rain really came down. The start of the second game was delayed just a few minutes while they waited the rain out. After the Crusaders took the lead in the bottom of the third the skies opened up again. The result was a rain delay that lasted about an hour, and it also led to me leaving. When I left Valpo had a two run lead, but would eventually lose game two by the same 7-3 score. The two losses ended any hope Valpo had of taking the regular season Horizon League title.
Kyle Gaedele hitting a run scoring double in game two
For the second game in a row I was surrounded by Major League scouts again. At first I thought that they might have been there for me, but then I realized that they probably aren’t interested in 35 year old players who can’t hit, throw, or run anymore. They were there to watch Kyle Gaedele. Kyle is just a junior, but he is getting some looks. Every time he came up the stopwatches came out. I parked next to a scout for the Reds. It was senior day at Valpo today, but it will be interesting to see if Kyle has played his last game there as well.
I decided that it would be foolish to try and keep score in the rain today. I decided that I could just do without for once. So once again no scorecards with my post. Here are a couple of pictures that did not make the body of this post.
You can get surprisingly good pictures through the screen behind home plate
Late in the third inning the rain really started to come down
Confessions of a Sports Junkie 