Batavia outslugs Geneva

The play certainly worked for Emily Dorjath and the Batavia softball team, but it needs a new name.

Bulldogs coach Ashley Szymski called for “pull back/slap” with Dorjath at bat in the third inning of Batavia’s 10-7 victory over Geneva Friday.

Normally the player pulls back a bunt attempt, then slaps a little dink of a hit hoping to get the ball just past the charging infielders.

Dorjath showed her own version of the “slap”, pulling back her bunt attempt and crushing a Kelly McCaffrey offering nearly out of the park. The ball landed just short and hoped over the fence for a ground-rule double, one of 2 doubles on the day for Dorjath and one of 6 extra-base hits for Batavia.

“I was nervous when she gave me the sign,” said Dorjath, the team’s catcher and one of the Batavia seniors honored before the game. “I’m not really used to slapping. It ended up working out well.

“It was just a really good pitch to hit and I was able to finish my swing and see the ball really well to be able to hit it pretty far. I wasn’t expecting it to go that far but it did.”

Batavia (20-7, 11-7) pounded the ball all game with 15 hits, quite a contrast from the first meeting with Geneva (23-10, 12-6) when the Vikings won 3-0 — the only time Batavia’s high-powered offense has been held scoreless this year.

“I think it really upset us because they were the only team we didn’t score on all season,” Dorjath said. “We know we are a really good hitting team. It gave us a fire. We had the motivation today.”

Dorjath went 2-for-4 and had plenty of company putting up crooked numbers. Winning pitcher Brooke Nelson led the charge going 3-for-4 with a double, and Katie Ryan, Christine Lynam, Erin Costigan and Lindsay McEachern all went 2-for-4.

Lynam cranked a home run in the sixth inning, her seventh of the season and the 36th for the team.

“You get nervous with Senior Night and the focus not being there but they were definitely focused,” Szymski said. “We gave the best gift we could to the seniors with a win.

“We were more comfortable at the plate. We were on our home field. Just being more relaxed, comfortable (compared to the first loss to Geneva).”

Compounding the problems for Geneva was an uncharacteristic defensive effort. A throwing error gave Batavia a 1-0 lead in the first. In the second two Geneva outfielders collided going for a fly ball, which allowed the ball to drop and led to a 3-run Batavia inning and 4-0 lead.

If there was one positive for Geneva, coach Greg Dierks said it was the way senior leaders Dori Rogers, McCaffrey and Melissa Barber kept the team’s heads in the game. That and a pair of outfield assists, as both Sarah Laster in left field and Maura Bochte in right threw out Batavia runners at the plate.

“The defensive stuff, if it was things we weren’t capable of taking care of I’d be a little more unsettled,” Dierks said. “Communication issues on a few balls that need to be caught. It gave us a chance to deal with a lot of adversity today and I thought we had some kids who communicated well and took a lot of leadership. We can build off that and be stronger so we are ready to go in the postseason.”

The Bulldogs eventually pushed their lead to 8-2 before Geneva made things interesting with a 5-run fifth inning. Bridget Weitzel doubled to start the rally and Elena Wright and Barber singled to keep it going before a Batavia infield error really added fuel.

Szymski brought Katie Coleman in to start the sixth. Coleman responded with a pair of scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out two.

“It would have been the fourth round on Brooke and you don’t want to give hitters too many opportunities,” Szymski said. “They hadn’t seen Coleman, give them a different look.”

Batavia provided Coleman 2 insurance runs in the sixth, one on Lynam’s home run and the other on Costigan’s RBI single. The win provided a sweet result for seniors Dorjath, Nelson, Lynam and McEachern playing their final home game.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Dorjath, who will play college softball at Beloit. “I’m going to miss all the players here. We’ve had a good season and good times.”

Geneva wound up alone in second place in the Upstate Eight Conference River Division, one game ahead of Batavia. The teams actually beat and lost to the exact same opponents with the exception of the Vikings’ win over conference champ St. Charles North.

“We are excited about that,” Dierks said of second place. “It makes us feel that much better about getting that win.”