Baseball: Geneva capitalizes on walks to hand Metea its 1st loss
Geneva scratched out runs in all but one inning and withstood a late Metea Valley rally Tuesday for a 6-2 nonconference win.
Metea Valley, who blanked the host Vikings only in the sixth inning, started its last at bat trailing, 6-1. After retiring Nolan Morancheck, the leadoff batter, on a popout, Geneva reliever Bryce Breon gave up back-to-back doubles to Kyle Bucher and Aidan Wagner. Wagner's 2-bagger plated Bucher.
After a walk and a strikeout, Mustangs cleanup hitter Jack LaVine loaded the bases on a single. Breon got out the jam when Jeremy Wrona hit a bouncer in front of the place that Vikings catcher Owen Anderson fielded and threw to first for the final out.
Breon came on in the fifth inning replacing starter Daniel Strohm.
"I was happy to see Bryce battle in that last inning," said Geneva coach Brad Wendell. "He was getting a little tired. That's the most he thrown this year, so far, He kept competing and I'm glad to see him have a little success out here."
"I was just getting tired. I couldn't locate my fastball really well," Breon said. "So I took some deep breathes and then I reset a little bit and relocated my fastball."
Geneva (3-2) capitalized on seven Metea Valley walks for its runs.
Base on balls aided Vikings runs in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings. Two of Geneva's three extra-base hits brought home a run in the third inning. Blake Stempowski lined a one-out double into center field. Two batters later, Carson Sprague's smash into right field plated Stempowski.
Clutch hitting also was a factor, according to Wendell.
"We had good two-out hitting, that was the difference," the Vikings coach said. "We four RBIs with two outs."
"I think both pitchers during the game were wild. We walked seven guys in the first five innings, and they capitalized more on those opportunities than we did," Metea Valley coach Steve Colombe said. "Their pitcher settled in a little more nicely than we did."
Starter Vladmir Hudson, who pitched three and a third innings, took the loss for the Mustangs.
Strohm struggled on the mound as well but was able to pitch out of the jams. The Vikings turned double plays in the first and second innings to end Mustang threats.
Metea Valley reached Strohm for a run in the fourth. LaVine opened the frame with a single, and the catcher advanced all the way to third base when Strohm's pickoff throw got away from first baseman Daniel Alworth.
The Vikings handed the 4-1 Mustangs their first loss of the season.
"We're disappointed with today but happy with the way the season has started," Colombe said. "We've won four of our first five games. Last year, we only won 10 games."