Schrader propels Hawks to sweep of Elgin

The Bartlett Hawks opened Upstate Eight Conference play taking two from the Elgin Maroons as Bartlett's southpaws ruled the day Friday.

The Hawks (3-1, 2-0) opened the day needing only one breakout inning to take a 4-0 win.

In the bottom of the fifth, Bartlett batted around as winning pitcher Dan Kasper led off with a double and went to third on a bunt single from George Tintera.

Two outs later, Ryan Schrader came up with a 2-RBI single allowing pinch runner David Palma and Tintera, who reached second on a fielder's choice by Alex VanNess, to score.

"Ryan Schrader came up big for us in the fifth inning," said Hawks coach Rocco Marinucci. "That was a huge two-out hit."

Schrader took second on the play with the throw coming home setting up the Hawks' third run on an error that allowed Tucker Erickson to reach. Mike Selvaggi then drove him in with a single.

However, Maroons' starting pitcher Josh Smith breezed through the first four innings allowing only 1 hit and striking out 3.

"Josh pitched a really nice game," said Maroons' coach Dave Foerster. "(Bartlett's) a good team and just got to him in the fifth."

For Elgin (0-2, 0-2), the first inning represented the only chance to score as Ben Stone and Adam Jazwiec tallied singles while Isaac Serna reached on the only Bartlett error.

But two pickoff plays ended the Elgin threat as a 1-3-6 pickoff caught Stone and Bartlett catcher Kyle Burden gunned down Serna at second.

From there, left-hander Kasper (8 strikeouts) went perfect with 6 one-two-three innings in a row in the complete game effort while battling through some pain.

"I pulled a muscle in the first inning and I just kind of stretched it out," Kasper said. "I just learned to deal with it and I felt good the rest of the way."

The Hawks earned a second win as both teams picked up from where they left off in a rain-shortened game on Thursday with Bartlett holding an 11-2 lead after three innings.

Schrader came up with another big hit leading off the fifth with a home run over the left-field fence to give Bartlett a 12-2 win.

"I knew he was going to throw a fastball," Schrader said. "That's what I was looking for and that's what I got."

Left-hander Kyle King finished the game, which left-hander Mike Derby started, allowing 1 hit by Tom Roth while Casey Knaak pitched both innings of Game 2 for Elgin.