Elgin downs West Aurora to finish winning week
The Elgin baseball team finished a week of games against Aurora schools on a high note Saturday.
Jake Meyer snapped a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning with his 3-run double, Elgin added 4 insurance runs in the seventh and sophomore Alex Doty went the distance in a 9-3 nonconference victory over West Aurora. The game was moved to Aurora due to field conditions in Elgin.
The victory gave the Maroons a 3-2 record against Aurora competition. They swept a pair from East Aurora before being swept by Waubonsie Valley by lopsided margins.
"I wasn't sure how our mindset was going to be today - a nonconference game after changing sites, the way the weather was," Elgin coach David Foerster said. "After not playing very well against Waubonsie, it was good to come out, start fresh and play an overall solid ballgame."
Elgin (4-10) jumped to a 2-0 lead in the third inning on two-out singles from junior Javier Cárdenas (3-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs) and sophomore Gage Teschner (2-for-4, RBI).
West Aurora (3-14) tied it up in the top of the fourth when senior Greyson Reider (2-for-3) lined a two-out, bases loaded single to left field that scored Cal Wagner and Eddie Kane.
It was a big hit for Reider, who batted ninth after leading off most of the season. "Coach thought it would be good to get my timing down again, see some decent pitches," Reider said of the batting-order switch. "Right there, I just decided to take a whack at it."
"Greyson did a nice job," Blackhawks coach John Reeves said. "It's nice to see a senior come back with a big hit. The only thing is we can't stop people from scoring. We tie it up and we give up 3 runs right away."
Elgin's 3-run answer came courtesy of Meyer's double with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth. The junior kept his hands back on an 0-1 curveball from West Aurora starting pitcher Chris Hickson (0-1) and drilled it to the to the left-center field fence.
"I wanted to put the ball in play and hit a gap shot," Meyer said. "I was sitting fastball; he threw a curve. I sat back and killed it to the gap."
Nursing a 3-run lead, Doty (2-1) escaped jams in the fifth and sixth innings. He induced a flyball to right field to end a bases-loaded threat in the fifth, and he stranded runners at first and second in the sixth by snagging a comebacker to the mound.
"I just had to bear down and throw strikes," Doty said. "I didn't have my best stuff, but it seemed to all be getting in there for strikes." Doty allowed 3 earned runs on 8 hits, struck out six, walked three and hit a batter.
Elgin added 4 runs in the seventh against two West Aurora relievers to take a 9-2 lead. Jordan Smith, Cárdenas and Teschner each contributed run-scoring singles.
West Aurora returns to DuPage Valley Conference play on Monday in the opener of a 3-game series against Wheaton North in Aurora. Elgin rejoins Upstate Eight Conference play Monday in the opener of a 2-game set against visiting Neuqua Valley.