Hoffman Estates plays it right for win
Hoffman Estates didn’t go for a power play with the temptation of a strong wind blowing straight out in a tied Mid-Suburban West baseball game Tuesday at Barrington.
The Hawks simply put the ball in play in the top of the seventh inning. They manufactured a run without a ball leaving the infield and held on for a 6-5 victory at Kirby Smith Field.
“That’s what we keep preaching,” said Hoffman coach Todd Meador. “We have to find ways to put pressure on the defense and I thought our kids did that.”
Hoffman Estates sophomore Jimmy Ward (3-for-4) did to start the game-winning rally. He just beat the throw from the edge of the outfield grass from shortstop Jack Scheffler on a grounder up the middle for a single.
“We just needed to get the leadoff guy on,” said Ward, who doubled and scored in a 2-run first and singled and scored in the third. “We’ve cut down our strikeouts to make them make plays. If we keep doing that we’ll definitely score more runs.”
Pinch hitter Jordan Loikits reached on a dropped throw on his sacrifice bunt. Freshman Ethan Bloom, who had an RBI single in the first, grounded into a force at third but a wild throw for the fourth Barrington (2-16, 1-4) error put runners at second and third.
Kevin Grudzinski then hit a slow grounder to second baseman Chris Coco with the infield in but Loikits broke for the plate on a contact play and beat the throw.
“We’ve proven if we get 5 runs we’ll win the game more times than not,” said Ward, whose team lost for the sixth time where it scored just 1 run Monday at Wheeling. “That’s definitely a big key.”
Center fielder Kevin Tednes had a two-out RBI double to give Hoffman (6-10, 1-3) and starter Trent Rehusch a 5-4 lead in the sixth. Rehusch was replaced by Grudzinski after Coco doubled and Macray Poidomani walked to start the bottom of the sixth.
Scheffler, who tied it with a bloop 2-run, two-out single in the fourth, lined a tying double to left. But a perfect relay from Mike Gordon to shortstop Mark Roberts to catcher Drew Roesch nailed Poidomani at the plate and prevented Rehusch from a potential tough-luck loss.
“You have to go for the win and send him there,” said Barrington coach Jim Hawrysko.
“That was an unbelievable throw,” Meador said of Roberts. “A Derek Jeter-type play from the outfield grass to make a perfect strike like that.”
Barrington just missed a chance to wipe out a 3-0 deficit by a foot in the third. Aaron Foley’s bases-loaded liner off the top of the right-field fence went for a long 2-run single and Rehusch prevented any further damage.
“The momentum shifts a lot — instead of being up 3-2 now they’re chasing one,” Hawrysko said. “That was a really good at-bat for (Foley). He did a great job.”
Grudzinski got the victory as he left Scheffler at second in the sixth and pitched around a two-out walk in the seventh.
“Our record is deceiving,” Meador said. “We’re battling every team we play. If we do that enough things will start going our way.”
Meadows 11, Hersey 3: Winning pitcher Matt Hendricks homered and had 3 RBI and Eric Lowe went 3-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI as Rolling Meadows (7-7, 1-4) snapped a 5-game losing streak with the MSL East win in 6 innings.
Hendricks allowed 2 earned runs and 7 hits and had 5 strikeouts and 1 walk. Meadows rallied from a 2-1 deficit with 5 runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Mike Olson had 3 hits, Joe Kropp had 2 hits and 2 RBI and Matt Dennis had 2 hits for Meadows. Sean Thompson was 2-for-3 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI and Aaron DeGeorge had 2 hits for Hersey (8-7, 3-2).
MSL postponements: Conant at Schaumburg, Fremd at Palatine, Prospect at Buffalo Grove and Elk Grove at Wheeling were postponed because of unplayable field conditions.