Baseball: Six-run second inning propels Batavia past Geneva
Batavia made it two in a row against the Geneva with a dominant 12-2 DuKane Conference victory that ended early in the bottom of the sixth inning Monday.
Senior pitcher Nate Nazos led the Bulldogs (7-14, 4-6 DC) with a stellar performance. He pitched 4 1/3 innings of shutout baseball, delivering five strikeouts.
“The fastball was moving pretty fast today, and the arm was feeling good,” Nazos said. “The biggest thing is trusting the guys behind me.”
After Nazos and Geneva’s starting pitcher, senior Seth Kisner, made quick work of the first inning, the Bulldogs’ offense opened up.
In the bottom of the second, senior shortstop Ryan Boe singled to open up the inning and start the rally. A pair of walks from junior second baseman Darren Barnes and Nazos loaded the bases with no outs. Junior first baseman Payton Wolff singled to left field, bringing in the game’s first run.
Freshman catcher Brandon Oke followed with another single, making it 2-0, still with no outs. Batting around the order, Boe got his second RBI of the inning on an infield hit before a two-run double by senior outfielder Henry Haug.
A controversial out call to end the bottom of the second allowed the sixth run to cross. Haug, caught in a pickle, bought enough time for the runner on third to cross before he was called out. Geneva coach Brad Wendell had a lengthy conversation with the home plate umpire.
“We’re always trying to stay focused on our job and things we can control and certain things you can’t control,” Wendell said. “So what can we control is stay focused in the game and come back tomorrow and take care of those things.”
Nazos set the Vikings (15-4-1, 6-4-1) down in order in the top of the third. Kisner settled in after the second and did the same in the bottom of the third.
Junior Connar Temple came in relief of Nazos with runners on the first and second with one out. A strikeout and fly ball got Temple out of the inning and kept the game 6-0.
The game remained scoreless in the fifth inning as both pitchers controlled the strike zone and relied on their defense.
Geneva broke through in the top of the sixth when senior catcher Sawyer Venditti doubled, scoring senior John Rueth. The Vikings added another when senior second baseman Sam Seykora singled, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
In the bottom of the sixth, after Kisner was replaced by senior Logan Bova, Wolff and senior Bryce Burgoni, both off the bench, drew walks. Junior Keegan Harp came off the bench and was hit by a pitch, loading the bases with no outs. Senior outfielder Ryne Woods doubled down the first baseline, making it 8-2.
Haug added to his day with a single, extending the lead to 10-2, and then senior third baseman Jacob Asenltine homered to left center, ending the game 12-2.
“We just had to see a couple of things fall our way,” Batavia coach Alex Beckmann said. “We had a rough start and played some really solid programs that prepared us a lot for conference play. We kind of figured things out along the way and getting Connar Temple back has made a big difference for us as well.”
Batavia will go for the sweep Tuesday in the series finale, which hasn’t happened since the 2019 season.