Aurora Christian sophomore handcuffs Westminster

As first starts go, this one was impressive.

In his starting nod of the season, Aurora Christian sophomore pitcher Mitch Holtz nearly went the distance in a 5-2 nonconference victory over short-handed Westminster Christian under the lights at Wing Park in Elgin Friday night.

The right-hander threw 105 pitches in 62/3 innings, striking out 9 Warriors. Holtz (1-1) didn't walk a batter until the seventh inning, when he walked 3 and was lifted with the tying run coming to the plate in a 5-2 ballgame.

"Mitch was phenomenal," Aurora Christian coach Andy Zorger said. "He's not really a starter, at least he hasn't been. But he stepped in tonight and that's as good as anybody's looked for us in a while. He was throwing strikes and that was the key. He got ahead and mixed in that nice, tight curveball and kept them off-balance.

"He's working his way into the top of our rotation with that performance."

Junior Brent Minta took the mound for a one-out save, which he earned by striking out Westminster cleanup hitter Joe McGannon for the final out with runners at first and third. The victory improved the Eagles' record to 4-1.

"Minta came in and got that K for me," Holtz said. "By the seventh inning I was getting pretty sore. I'm glad. We're off to a good start."

Bitten by the injury bug, Westminster Christian (6-3) played without leadoff hitter Brandon Weingartner, center fielder Mike O'Neill and middle infielder Ryan Perez. Holtz limited the Warriors to 5 hits.

Westminster's fielding didn't do it any favors either. Errors by the Warriors in the third and fifth innings led directly to Aurora Christian's first 2 unearned runs. The Eagles tacked on 2 additional runs in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead, courtesy of a 2-run, bases-loaded single to right field by Josh Haugen off right-hander Kevin Elder (2-1).

"I was looking fastball the whole time," Haugen said. "I was looking for something to drive or at least get the guy from third home because we needed runs to help Mitch."

Elder, a hard-throwing sophomore, allowed 6 hits, struck out 11, walked 3 and hit a batter in 6 innings of work.

The Warriors scored their first run in the seventh inning on a bases-loaded squeeze bunt with nobody out by junior Ben Stevenson and a run-scoring groundout by Andrew Mason. Holtz walked Frank Oliver to bring McGannon to the plate, but Minta quelled the comeback attempt with his strikeout.

"On defense, we played on our heels," Westminster coach Jeff Moeller said. "And at the plate we kept telling the kids to be aggressive. The last couple of innings they were aggressive at the plate, and that's what we're capable of doing. (Holtz) is a good pitcher, no doubt about it. It was just too little too late."