Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 11 · column 1 of 6 · from the scan, no model involved
By LOU HATTER
Rappahannock News Staff Writer
Despite an 0-8 record, Panther baseball coach Dee Van Horn remains optimistic about his youthful team.
The inexperience of his team, the coach said, has led to errors in the field and a lack of success at the plate.
But the team is stealing bases like professional bandits, and their selective hitting eyes have enabled several players to earn base on balls consistently. “Once we get on base we’re doing okay,” the coach said. “The team’s got good hustle.” On Monday, the team stole 12 bases, including three times stealing home; twice on passed balls and once on a dropped third strike.
“But we’re not scoring runs because we’re not getting hits.”
The most runs have been scored on stolen bases, he said again, adding that Justin Ferrence reached first Monday against Strasburg after being hit by a pitch, then stole second, third and finally home plate. “I’m telling them, if we can’t generate hits, let’s run.” The team has 46 successful stolen bases in 50 attempts, a phenomenal 92 percent average.
But, the team has committed 40 errors, an average of five per game, and nine against Strasburg alone. “You can’t win games with that,” the coach said.The team’s fielding percentage stands at .778, below the optimum .850-.900.
But there are bright spots on the young team. Scott Tummeyer, who Coach Van Horn thought was out for the season with arm problems, has returned to the pitching mound after
94.1%