Bartlett batters Batavia
Batavia was coming off a 21-2 win entering its home game with Bartlett Wednesday, but it was the Hawks who had even more momentum on their side.
After rallying from 4-0 down to beat Elgin and ace Hannah Perryman 5-4 on Tuesday, the Hawks kept their roll going by jumping on Batavia starter Katie Coleman with four runs in the first inning on their way to a 9-0 victory.
Confidence can do wonders for any team and Bartlett (7-2, 2-0) sure seemed to have it Wednesday.
“After the last two innings we started to crush the ball (against Elgin) and I think we hit our rhythm and we are going to start pounding on people,” said winning pitcher Tori Burke. “We’re coming along. We’re young and we’re just improving every game.”
Burke led the Hawks’ 10-hit attack going 2-for-4 with a triple and 3 RBI. She was just as good in the circle going all 7 innings allowing 1 hit and 2 walks while striking out 10 to improve to 4-2. Sophomore Sydney Johnson led the error-free defense with five clean plays at third base, then moved to short in the seventh and fielded two more balls.
“(Burke) had a great day all-around,” Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. “Her rise ball was dancing. When you can hold a hitting team like this and (Batavia junior slugger) Katie Ryan we know how good she is and hold them without a real threat in the game, that’s some darn good pitching.”
Stephanie Tomazin, Kaylyn Zierke and Alex Morales also had 2 hits each for Bartlett.
Tomazin and Zierke both had singles in the first inning. A ground out by Kayla Haberstich and a single up the middle by Morales scored the first two runs before Burke’s triple to deep right field and a wild pitch brought in the next two for a 4-0 lead after an inning.
“We came from facing Perryman yesterday, when you go down a level you feel a little bit more confident at the plate because you are seeing something a half a millisecond longer,” Wolfsmith said. “We did a good job early getting on her (Coleman) before she got some of her movement.”
The Hawks put the game away with five runs in the third, again pounding the ball up and down their lineup and not relying on small ball. Burke delivered the big hit with a sharp 2-run single up the middle.
Batavia (5-4, 1-1) only had three base-runners in the game. The Temple-recruit Zierke flashed a rocket arm behind the plate by picking off the first baserunner off second base in the second inning.
Ryan had what turned out to be Batavia’s only hit with a hard-hit single up the middle off Burke’s glove in the fourth. That was a far cry from the 21 runs the Bulldogs scored the previous day against East Aurora.
“We definitely had a different pitching style but it doesn’t mean you should be able to regroup and come back strong,” Batavia coach Ashley Szymski said. “That’s really not an excuse. They said it (Burke’s pitches) had some interesting movements on it and they were thrown off a little.”
Coleman did settle down after the rough start retiring the final 8 batters she faced. Katie Neubauer pitched the final 2 innings and allowed just 1 hit while striking out three.
Batavia will try to bounce back at Metea Valley on Thursday.
“I’m glad Katie did settle down and come back strong,” Szymski said. “They were hitting the ball. It wasn’t a defensive issue. That is the fist team to hit us like that.”
Wolfsmith used the big lead to get every player on his team an at-bat.
“Having 16 girls on the team we all support each other,” Burke said. “We have great chemistry and know everybody on the team is able to do their job when they are put in the game.”