Sunshine Eagles had the unenviable task of combating Preston Pirates ace Bubbie Buzachero in the opening round of the Baseball Victoria summer league division 1.
The Eagles lost 9-4 at Barclay Reserve on Saturday but, surprisingly, that had more to do with their own rustiness on the mound than Buzachero’s usual brilliance.
Eagles’ starting pitcher Chris Prokupek, newly arrived from the US, endured a rocky start to life as an Eagle, conceding two home runs, including a three-run blast.
Relief Adam Irons couldn’t stop the bleeding and gave up three more.
Buzachero, a Melbourne Aces pitcher with one of the best arms in the league, lapped up the run support. While he wasn’t at his miserly best in his first start of the new campaign, conceding home runs to Rohan Brasher and Matthew Davis, he had more than enough runs to play with for a pitcher of his quality.
“Preston hit two home runs and both times had runners on base,” Eagles coach Earl Byrne told the Weekly. “We hit two home runs but, unfortunately, they were solo shots.”
With games coming up against powerhouses Geelong, on Saturday, and Essendon, the loss was tough to swallow for the Eagles, although Byrne was pleased with his side’s ability to stay in the contest after a horror start. “The boys could’ve chucked it in, but they didn’t give up,” he said.
