Baseball: Lisle continues to struggle on defense
Playing seven games in eight days to begin the 2019 season, Pete Meyer has quickly learned a couple of things about his Lisle baseball team.
While offensively the Lions have started off quite strong, it's the defense that needs improvement.
Errors once again hurt Lisle on Wednesday in a 10-6 home loss to DePaul College Prep that dropped the Lions' record to 3-4.
"We have to make routine plays routinely," Meyer said. "We are not doing that. That's been it. We are hitting the ball well. If we make routine plays, we are right in that game. We didn't play well defensively yesterday either (a 12-8 loss to Pleasant Plains).
"That's our thing right now. We have to try to get over that early season hump."
Lisle was in a hole from the start, spotting the visitors four runs in the first inning on just two hits. Two errors, three walks and a pair of wild pitches contributed to the damage.
But the Lions fought right back, scoring two after doubles by Connor Nigro and A.J. Casmer.
The Rams (7-3), whom Lisle defeated in the sectional a year ago, added two runs in the third, after the inning should have been over on a dropped third strike which was eventually thrown into right field. A grand slam in the fourth by Zach Burhans an inning later was the big blow.
The home team wasn't done, scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run single by Sam Russo, who later came in and pitched two innings of scoreless relief.
"We just have to be more aggressive in the field," Russo said, "because we have been very good offensively. We have played a lot of great competition, which is good for us in the long run."
Jay McGrath added an RBI single in the fifth; that hit was his seventh in the past two days.
"We are doing very well hitting right now," McGrath said, "I'm in a groove and we are doing well (at the plate). We just need to get better fielding-wise.
"Our record might not be as good as we want, but we've played good teams. I'd rather have that then play teams you can beat by 10 runs."
Lisle will get four days off before returning to game action on Monday.
"I love our guys' battle," Meyer said. "They are great kids and they battle, battle, battle at the plate. Now we have to show that same kind of battle in the field.
"Our early schedule has been tough, but we've got a couple of good wins in there. To play this caliber of teams early in the season and be in all the games, and take three of them, I'm happy with that."