Geneva keeps swinging, keeps scoring in bunches

Saying it was an ideal day to be a hitter at Geneva's baseball field Wednesday afternoon would be a vast understatement.

With the wind blowing out at an already smaller-size ballpark, it definitely wasn't a good day to be a pitcher as Batavia and Geneva combined for 28 runs and 28 hits, including 15 extra-base hits - 7 of them home runs.

And for the second consecutive day, the hard-hitting Vikings (19-5, 12-2) enjoyed the better offensive numbers during their 19-9, 6-inning triumph over the Bulldogs (9-13, 7-7) in Western Sun Conference action.

"Coming out here with the wind blowing out, that's what we like," said Geneva senior first baseman Jack Delabar, who smacked a 3-run home run during a 5-RBI day that included a pair of bases-loaded walks.

Geneva, which has amassed 72 runs in its last 5 games and has hit 35 home runs in 24 games this season (just 2 shy of the team's single-season record of 37 set in 2008), finished with 17 base hits, 9 of the extra-base variety with 4 home runs and 5 doubles.

Eight of the Vikings' 9 starters had base hits, with 7 of them enjoying multi-hit games. Every starter reached base and scored a run, and even non-starting hitters Kyle Bender and Jarrod Campbell finished 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and 4 RBI.

Did someone say hitting is contagious?

"I honestly believe it because there's not many innings where we have 1 or 2 hits," said Delabar. "If we get hits, we get hits."

The Vikings got off to a rousing start as leadoff man Jason Adams belted a 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence. Adams, who later added a solo home run during a 4-run fifth, has joined the "lumber company" with 4 home runs in his last 3 games.

"I've never hit a home run until this year," said Adams.

Catcher Eric Renner (2-for-5, 2 RBI) added a solo home run to lead off the second, and winning pitcher Mike Monaghan (2-for-3, 2 RBI; 4-0 on the mound) delivered a 2-run single later in the inning to up the Vikings' lead to 4-0.

Tim Schofield, who went 4-for-4 after his 20-game hitting streak came to an end Tuesday, got the Bulldogs on the board with a third-inning home run before Danny Seiton and Jay Clark added solo home runs in the fourth to make it 4-3.

Geneva answered with a 4-run fourth before the Bulldogs retaliated with a 4-run fifth, highlighted by Clark's RBI double and Nick Leonard's 2-run single, to pull within 8-7.

But the Bulldogs, who suffered their fifth straight WSC defeat, couldn't silence the Vikings' attack. After extending their lead to 12-7 after 5 innings, the Vikings exploded for a 7-run sixth, capped by Campbell's walk-off 2-run double.

"One or two of them (home runs) might have been wind-aided but the ball was jumping off our bats all day and it has been jumping off our bats for two weeks now," said Geneva coach Matt Hahn, who recorded his 100th career victory against Rochelle last week.

"Some years you have to eat outs trying to move a runner along and then hope for a base hit but there have been several situations this year where I don't want to bunt because the guy has hit three line drives already so why eat the out? It changes your strategy a little bit."

Schofield, who was one of Batavia's bright spots, nearly hit for the cycle with his sixth-inning double.

"I wanted to wave him around to third so he could have a triple but we had to play for a little of a rally there (trailing 12-7) and I didn't want to have him thrown out at third for the first out," said Batavia coach Matt Holm.

The teams will lock horns again today in Batavia.