Batavia rallies against Sandwich, wins 2nd straight

Three arms might not be better than one - at least with the high-end type arms at Batavia - but they are proving they can still get the job done.

With Jordan Coffey still a couple weeks away after off-season surgery and the injured Adam Karger hoping to be back next week at the end of the series against Rochelle, Batavia has had to dig a little deeper on its pitching staff.

A day after picking up their first win over Glenbard West, Batavia dumped Sandwich 8-4 behind Tyler Lindquist, Ryan Koll and Kevin Flinn.

"The pitching situation has been a little rough this week," Batavia coach Matt Holm said. "What we are working on this week is trying to put some guys in some roles. We are playing tough teams. I'm not worried about it. We'll play well and have a good season."

Batavia (2-3) gets its next tough team today at Benet. The Bulldogs will start their one healthy ace, Brian Krolikowski, who said he's been impressed watching the rest of the Bulldogs' staff.

"We knew coming into this season we were going to have a lot of different pitchers," said Krolikowski, who went 2-for-3 at the plate.

"It's nice to see we can throw three different guys and still win a ballgame. It's a comfortable feeling that you can give them their shot. Of course they want to get the starting role so they are going to push themselves. I think it's great."

Batavia took a 2-0 lead in the first on an RBI double from Tim Drish and Coffey's sacrifice fly.

Sandwich (0-4) tied the game in the third with a pair of unearned runs. With runners at second and third, Koll relieved Lindquist and got a strikeout, but on the dropped third strike both runners scored to tie the game.

Batavia fell behind 4-2 in the fifth, then rallied for 5 runs in its half. Ryan Welter, who reached three times with 2 walks and a hit by pitch, started with a walk. Tim Schofield (2-for-4, 2 runs) followed with a double.

"I just wanted to put the ball in play and hit it hard," Schofield said. "My first couple at-bats I didn't hit it very well."

Drish's sacrifice fly cut the lead to 4-3, then Krolikowski's two-out single up the middle tied the game.

After Coffey walked, Lindquist delivered the game-winning hit with a shot to right field.

Batavia has outhit every opponent except for its season opener against Minooka.

"I've been waiting for us to come around," Holm said. "We had some clutch hitting yesterday and we were clutch when it came down to it today. That's what we need to do."

The 5-run fifth inning was more than enough with Flinn on the mound.

"He has been fantastic this week," Holm said. "He did the same thing against Willowbrook (Monday) and shut them down. Rubber arm turns around on Thursday and throws another three innings."

Sandwich starter Jarred Campbell held Batavia through 4 innings before tiring in the fifth.

"When we come to play a team like Batavia, we are just looking to play smart baseball," Sandwich coach Derek Avery said. "That lineup is pretty tough. Right through the middle of that order is really tough. They got us in one inning."