“Great baseball teams find a way to excel in the later innings. The Zips baseball team (13-8, 2-4) has proven to be most productive in the final few innings of their games this season. Tuesday, the Zips beat Malone College (10-16) by a 6-3 count in the finale of their home stand.”
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Great baseball teams find a way to excel in the later innings.

The Zips baseball team (13-8, 2-4) has proven to be most productive in the final few innings of their games this season.

Tuesday, the Zips beat Malone College (10-16) by a 6-3 count in the finale of their home stand.

Through five innings, the Zips trailed Malone 2-0 and failed to muster any real threat, but a three-run sixth and seventh elevated the Zips to a victory and continued the theme of late inning hitting for the Zips.

Sophomore shortstop Phil Bednar drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh after Malone tied it at 3-3 in the top.

Nearly all of Akron’s 13 wins have come from late inning surges, some even on the last at-bat.

Coach Pat Bangtson attributes it to pride.

It is the approach the vets and coaches talk about, said Bangtson after the win against Malone. Taking pride in winning in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings – games are won and lost in the final innings.

The win against Malone was a satisfying end to the home stand in which the Zips won three out of five. Junior Catcher Kurt Davidson helped his team and has a 10-game hitting streak to show for it.

Davidson now leads the team in home runs (6), batting average (.360), RBIs (22), runs (19), on base pct. (.398), slugging pct. (.640), hits (32) and total bases (57).

The only disappointment was the two losses against Northern Illinois, a Mid-American Conference foe, which drops UA’s conference record to 2-4, sixth in the MAC.

But the Zips are young and still fine-tuning some parts of their team.

Everyone is getting better, Bangtson stated. You just can’t stay even, you must get better in all aspects.

Among the aspects the Zips are looking to improve on are bullpen and depth.

We are developing the bullpen and depth, Bangtson said. You can’t just rely on nine guys everyday.

The growth of the team will continue as they board the bus to Kalamazoo, Mich., to begin a three game series against MAC West opponent Western Michigan (8-15, 3-3).

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” #1.1362151:1753550284.jpg:Kurt_Davidson BW.jpg:Catcher Kurt Davidson is riding a 10-game hitting streak. :Buchtelite File Photo”