Feverish hitting powers Elk Grove against Barrington
If hitting is contagious, then maybe Elk Grove should have its temperature checked.
The Grenadiers banged out a season-high 15 hits and came away with an 8-3 victory over Barrington in the Mid-Suburban League baseball title game Friday in Elk Grove. It was the second straight MSL crown for Elk Grove (21-8), which beat Schaumburg in last year's title game.
"We haven't talked about winning two in a row here," Elk Grove coach Terry Beyna said. "We talk about playing good baseball. We weren't even the favorites in our division."
Elk Grove got a gutty performance from junior Christian Camacho to shut down the free-swinging Broncos (23-9). Camacho, who improved to 9-2, allowed 5 hits in the first 3 innings before settling down to stifle Barrington.
"My team really helped me," said Camacho, who allowed 7 hits while striking out four. "They said they got me, and I believed them. I threw strikes and they made plays behind me."
Both teams ran themselves out of the inning in the second. Each team had runners on first and second and had base runners thrown out attempting to steal.
Barrington played it a little closer to the vest in their next at-bat, and it paid dividends as the Broncos struck for 3 runs.
The MSL West champs loaded the bases with no outs when Luke Johnson doubled, Jimmy Day singled and Mitch Pfeiffer reached on an error. Johnson scored when Jake Petersen walked, Day came home on Jake Coon's sacrifice fly and Pfeiffer raced home on Casey Dodge's RBI single.
But Camacho settled down to end threat, getting the final two outs with runners on second and third.
Camacho allowed just 2 hits and 4 baserunners the rest of the way and appeared to get stronger with each inning.
With Anthony Delaurentis on the bump for Barrington, it appeared that 3 runs would be plenty for the Broncos.
But Elk Grove knows how to rally against Barrington. A week ago when the two teams met, Elk Grove trailed Barrington 8-0. The Grens then closed to 8-6 before dropping that game 9-6.
"I think fighting back a week ago was absolutely huge," Beyna said. "We made that a game a week ago. And when we were down 3-0 today, the vibe in our dugout was pretty good."
The Grens showed how good it was when they started with singles by Chuck Fleming, Brandon Post and Jack McEnroe to load the bases in the fourth. A wild pitch and a groundout by Austin Shallcross made it 3-2. But the Grens were far from done when A.J. Lorenz, who had 3 hits in the game, belted a double to tie it at 3.
"I took the same approach I had all season," said Lorenz, who finished with 2 RBI. "We are a group of warriors who are going to battle to the end."
After a single by Sean Fege, one of his 2 hits on the game, Taylor O'Connor doubled off the left-field wall to drive in 2 runs and make it 5-3.
Camacho reached on an error to score O'Connor, and Fleming helped finish what he started with his second hit of the inning and the seventh for his team in that inning to make it 7-3.
"We were all just encouraging each other," said Fleming, who had 3 hits. "I led with a hit and everyone just caught it and everyone just started getting hits."
Beyna loved the way his players fed off of each other's successes.
"It was just one of those innings where it was very contagious," Beyna said. "It was just one good bat after another. That is great pitcher over there, but it was just our day."
Elk Grove added an extra run in the sixth when Lorenz singled home O'Connor, who also had singled.
"What they did was hit one through nine in the batting order," Barrington coach Pat Wire said. "And our guys just didn't make they plays. You have to do that. That is why baseball games are played.
"In the end, we didn't hit. I looked at the stats and I am just stunned."