Baseball: Wauconda downs Wheeling in nine innings
Baseball can turn on one pitch or one just pitcher.
Wauconda's Bobby Efflandt, Tyler Heinz and Keegan Henley can attest to that. The trio helped Wauconda turn the tables on host Wheeling 8-6 Saturday in a nine-inning nonconference game.
Efflandt came on in relief for the Bulldogs in the bottom of the first and pitched brilliantly. Heinz's home run changed the game offensively for Wauconda and Henley had a two-out, two-strike single that drove in the winning runs in the ninth.
"It was a roller coaster," Wauconda coach Bill Sliker said. "Bobby was pitching pretty good. I think he just got tired. But we got the hits when we needed them."
Wheeling (5-5) looked liked it was in complete command and got off to a huge start.
The Wildcats loaded the bases with three consecutive walks. Eric Konrath drove in a pair on a single. Joe Jordan, who went to third on the single, scored on a passed ball and Konrath would score on an error as Wheeling led 4-0.
With the inning still going and Wheeling having two runners on, Silker went to Efflandt and the senior delivered in a huge way. Not only did he get out of the inning with two quick outs, he retired the next 16 batters as well to give his team a shot.
"I was just focused up there," said Efflandt, who fanned three. "The main thing is I just wanted to throw strikes. It was pretty crazy, I couldn't believe it myself how well I did."
It was now Heinz's turn to help change the Bulldogs' (3-7) fortunes and he did it a long way.
Heinz belted the first pitch he saw in the top of the second for a home run over the left field fence to give his team some momentum.
"I had to get the boys rolling," Heinz said. "We had to put some runs up on the board. I saw a first pitch fastball and swung for contact. It just got everyone going."
Wauconda added another run that inning as Marcus Keller, who had singled for 1 of his 2 hits on the day, would score on a fielders choice by Luke Dubach.
Drew Coe homered to lead of the third for Wauconda as it cut the lead to 4-3.
It remained that way until the sixth when a now fully awake Wauconda had 4 hits and a hit batter to score 3 runs and take the lead at 6-4. Coe, who had 2 hits, drove in 2 runs with a single and Henley drove in another with a single.
Wheeling finally got to Efflandt in the bottom of the seventh when the Wildcats had consecutive infield singles and a walk to load the bases. After a pitching change, Chase Rosen and Ray Petzold both then scored to tie the game at 6-6. But a baserunning mistake cost the Wildcats an opportunity to push across the winning run.
Wauconda, which would finish with 16 hits, got 3 of those in the ninth. Henley's bases-loaded single drove in Connor D'Ambrosio, who was a pinch runner, and Jacob Jensen, who had singled.
"I was trying to hit something hard," said Henley, who had 3 hits and 3 RBI. "We hit well. It took us awhile, but after that we kind of settled in.
Marcus Sperling and Josh Kehl also had 2 hits for Wauconda.
"Right now we are just inexperienced," Wheeling coach Jason Wieder said. "On the bases especially. We just killed ourselves on the bases in the seventh and eighth innings. We are not aggressive and not heads up."