No. 16 Bartlett shocks top seed Geneva
Bartlett walked into the baseball postseason very relaxed.
As the No. 1 seed, Geneva had all the pressure on it.
After taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning, Bartlett continued to apply that pressure in a semifinal game of the Class 4A Lake Park regional in Roselle Wednesday.
Geneva was never able to get the bats going and Bartlett scored both of its runs during innings in which it did not record a hit. With the shocking 2-0 win, the 16th-seeded Hawks (18-19) await the winner of today’s game between Glenbard West and Lake Park in Saturday’s 11 a.m. championship game. The Lancers took 2 of 3 from the Hawks this season, while Glenbard West advanced to a sectional final as a No. 14 seed last year. It’s been a decade since the Hawks have last won a regional title.
Either way, Bartlett hopes its magic continues.
“I knew hits were going to be limited,” Bartlett coach Chris Pemberton said. “We knew we had to battle. We were going to have to take advantage of every inch. Kyle Garcia making a good read to score the first run is a credit to him.”
Geneva starter Jordan Touro (5-2) walked Garcia with one out in the top of the third. He then hit leadoff man Robert Smith and a wild pitch advanced them both. Ryan Karrick then hit into a fielder’s choice to score Garcia.
“We knew we had to be on our game,” Garcia said. “Geneva is a hitting team and we couldn’t make any mistakes.”
Geneva (26-8) made a run late in the game when No. 9 hitter Jake Weede got a one-out single in the bottom of the seventh. Third baseman Andy Francis then smacked a hard-hit double to center field leaving him as the tying run with just one out.
Bartlett starter Robert Sadowski kept his composure, like he did all game, getting Matt Brandys to pop out to second and Matt Williams to end the game on a ground out.
Sadowski (6-3) picked up the win allowing just 7 hits while striking out 8. Sadowski used a trio of pitches, all of which baffled the Vikings’ hitters, in the win.
“It took me a couple of innings to get it,” Sadowski said. “I always have my fastball. If felt comfortable with my change-up, it kept them guessing. My curve ball came in the end and I really needed it.”
Smith scored an additional run when he was walked to open the fifth inning. After reaching second on Karrick’s sacrifice bunt he took third on an error on a pickoff play and eventually crossed home plate on a wild pitch.
Geneva had bases loaded in the first inning, but Sadowski got a called third strike on Tony Landi to get out of the jam.
“We had a couple of opportunities early when we had bases loaded, but we didn’t score,” Geneva coach Matt Hahn said. “Our bats have been hot for the last month. We picked the wrong day to go cold.”