Reed pitches Geneva past West Chicago

Bret Reed has been Geneva's go-to pitcher throughout the season.

It was no surprise that Vikings coach Matt Hahn sent the senior right-hander to the mound for the team's Class 4A regional semifinal contest against West Chicago Thursday afternoon.

It also wasn't surprising that Reed turned his usual strong performance, tossing 5 innings of 1-run baseball with 7 strikeouts during the Vikings' 4-1 postseason victory in Geneva.

"His ERA is around 1.00," said Hahn. "That's a big-time ERA. That's why we chose to go with him today. We don't get a chance to win Saturday unless we win today. He has been our best pitcher all year."

However, it was West Chicago (14-18) that grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the second inning as Justin Yackey sliced a 1-out double to right-center before Brian Sullivan's bad-hop single drove in courtesy runner Alex Turney.

Geneva (21-11) answered with the tying run in the bottom half of the frame.

After Wildcats senior pitcher Fred Gosbeth hit Mitchell Merges with a pitch, an errant pickoff attempt at first allowed Merges to take third before junior Vince MacDonald knocked in Merges with an RBI single to center.

"I was trying to hit it to the opposite field and get it in the air," said MacDonald.

In the fourth, the Vikings took the lead for good as Merges followed back-to-back singles from Nate Montgomery and Nick Porretto with a 1-out sacrifice fly to medium-deep left field that sent courtesy runner Garrett Davis home.

"The fly ball that Davis scored on wasn't very deep but we figured with that guy (Gosbeth) on the mound we had to take a chance," said Hahn. "We couldn't sit on a 1-1 tie."

The fact that the Vikings recently played a 3-game series against West Chicago and had more than just a scouting report on the Wildcats also didn't hurt.

"There's some downside to playing a team four times in eight days and there's an upside to it, too," admitted Hahn. "That is one of the upsides.

"I was going to send him regardless."

Geneva added a pair of insurance runs off UIC-bound Gosbeth in the sixth.

Jack Wassel led off with a triple and scored on Porretto's RBI double. Two batters later, MacDonald drove in his second run of the game with a single to right.

"Most of my hits this year have been to the opposite field," said MacDonald. "I just tried to get a fastball that I could handle and poke it the opposite way."

Ironically, MacDonald's emergence began a few weeks ago against rival Batavia.

"Wassel was sick for the first two Batavia games," said Hahn. "Vince played great defensively and came through like he did today with a couple big hits. We're going to put our best nine on the field."

Senior Ben Slattery worked a pair of scoreless innings to record the save for the Vikings, who will try for their first regional title since 2008 Saturday morning against 4th-seeded Glenbard North.

Fifth-seeded Geneva has posted 9 consecutive 20-win seasons.

Gosbeth, who walked 2 and fanned 8, suffered the loss for the Wildcats, who played without 3-year veteran shortstop Connor Dall (shoulder/back injury).

"Fred probably threw one of his better games this year," said Wildcats coach Dan McCarthy. "He has been a little up and down this year but I think today he proved why he's a Division 1 pitcher. He gave us his all.

"I'm satisfied with the way we played. I've got a good group of seniors. It's tough to see them go out on this note but at least they competed."