Smith, Burlington Central survive clash with Marengo

Baseball rivals usually only collide in the figurative sense, but Burlington Central second baseman Tanner Smith and Marengo baserunner Brayden Quick did so quite literally on Tuesday with the outcome of the Rockets' 3-1 Big Northern East home win very much in the balance.

Central (6-1, 1-0) was leading by that score with two outs in the seventh when Quick's infield single to the shortstop hole against closer Jonny Frederickson loaded the bases for Marengo leadoff hitter Koty Kissack.

A senior, Kissack chopped a slow roller toward the second baseman, Smith, who charged straight at it with all four baserunners in full sprint. Smith reached down to field the ball and he squeezed it just as Quick barreled into him at full speed on his way to second.

Dazed, Smith managed to make the tag to end the game while both were on the ground.

"I was coming up to field the groundball and I could see he was coming," Smith said of Quick. "I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I thought 'I'll just go for the ball,' and as I went down for it we just collided. I know I spun and I saw him spin a little bit. Then the first instinct was to get up and tag him if they didn't call him out because I knew he was on the ground."

Teammate Brendan Bushy, who also played wide receiver for the Central football team, told Smith after the game he should've played football.

"I said I'll stick to baseball," Smith said. "That hurt."

Leaving the bases loaded was typical of Marengo's frustrating afternoon. The Indians scored a lone run despite 6 hits, 4 Central errors, 3 walks and 4 hit batsmen.

Marengo left 15 men on base, 11 in scoring position.

"That's pretty much the entire town of Marengo," Indians coach Josh Maas said. "We just couldn't get that one last hit, but I'm proud of our guys and the way they played. They know coming up here it's extremely difficult to win a game against a quality opponent like that. We just couldn't get that last little hit."

Frederickson's nerve-wracking, 1-inning save capped an overall successful if not sharp outing by Central pitchers, who outmaneuvered Marengo senior right-hander Ethan Walsweer. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 4 walks and struck out 11.

Central right-handed starter Jake Johnson held Marengo (4-6, 2-1) to an earned run on 4 hits without a walk but beaned 4 hitters. He fanned 4. Lefty reliever Parker Boron snagged the win with 2 scoreless innings. He walked 3 and struck out 5.

"Our pitching staff struggled a little bit," Central coach Kyle Nelson said. "Way too many freebies."

Marengo took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Kissack doubled to the left-field fence to drive in junior Phil Bowen.

Central knotted the score in the third when Andrew Wiss led off with a walk. He then stole second base and 2 throwing errors on the play by the Indians allowed him to race to the plate safely.

Central experienced its fair share of frustration at the plate with 9 stranded baserunners. The difference was catcher Max Judnic's clutch hit. Behind in the count 0-2 with two outs in the fifth, he sent a Walsweer curveball to center field to drive in Andrew Lauber and Avery Moore.

"I saw two fastballs and then I got two strikes on me," Judnic said. "I was expecting curve and, sure enough, he gave me a curve right down the middle and I drove it back up the middle."