Geneva erases Batavia's 5-run seventh-inning lead
For six-and-a-half innings at Geneva on Wednesday the Vikings couldn't do hardly anything right in the field while Batavia didn't do anything wrong.
The result was 6 errors for the home team and none by Batavia as the Bulldogs took an 8-3 lead to the bottom of the seventh.
And then the tables turned.
Batavia booted a couple infield grounders that ignited a Geneva rally to score four runs and load the bases with two outs, trailing 8-7.
Rachel Fanella, who batted for the first time in the seventh inning after Rylie Porretto injured her ankle, lifted a fly ball down the line in right field that looked like it would be caught for the last out of the game.
Instead, the ball popped out of the fielder's glove for Batavia's third error of the inning, allowing two runs to score for an improbable 9-8 Geneva win.
"I thought it went farther at first when I saw it was right on the line I was pretty scared but I was pretty happy when she missed it," said Fannella, who also pitched the final two innings in relief of Emily Plocinski to earn the win.
"For all of our defensive mistakes we really lucked out. It was one of our weaker games for sure. I'm glad we pulled it together at the end and got the win."
Geneva (8-4, 3-2 in the Upstate Eight Conference River) trailed 6-0 after Batavia's 5-run fifth inning. The Vikings also rallied from 6 runs down to beat Kaneland on Saturday.
"We should find some faith and confidence that we're not out of games even if we fall behind. It's a great quality to have," Geneva coach Greg Dierks said.
"We did a lot of things subpar today. I guess the one thing we did well was we didn't quit, we didn't give up. They had played well defensively the whole game and then gave us a couple chances in the last inning. I thought Batavia outplayed us for the vast majority of the game."
Batavia (4-9, 2-4) took the lead on the second batter of the game and never trailed until the last play. Ryanne Rokos (3 hits) led off the game with a triple and scored on a single by Toni Galas.
It stayed 1-0 until the top of the fifth as Batavia starter Rachael Lovestrand kept Geneva in check. Her teammates gave her a cushion in the fifth, a rally highlighted by a 2-run double to the right field gap by Christina Karius.
Geneva answered with 3 runs in its half of the fifth with a 2-run double of its own to nearly the same spot, this one by Annika Radabaugh.
Batavia had a chance to add to the 6-3 lead in the sixth with the bases loaded and one out but Fanella retired the No. 3 and 4 hitters.
The Bulldogs did score two insurance runs in the seventh including an RBI single from Elyse Burns for an 8-3 advantage heading to the fateful bottom of the seventh.
"We did a nice job at the start," Batavia coach Lupe Castellanos said. "We came out with a lot of energy. Ryanne got us off to a nice start. We had them on the ropes. Until you get that final out you can never be comfortable. We had some plays at the end we did not make and you have to give Geneva credit. They put the ball in play and made things happen."
Kaitlyn Plocinski reached on a one-out error to start the 6-run seventh. Molly Wrenn stroked a double to make it 8-4, and she scored on Radabaugh's groundout that cut Batavia's lead to 8-5 with two outs.
Geneva's seventh, eighth and ninth hitters - McKenna Schimmel, Jenelle Reilly and Sarah Baurer - all singled to make it an 8-6 game and load the bases for Geneva's leadoff hitter, Anna Geary.
Geary drew a walk to force in a run, bringing Geneva within 8-7 before Fanella hit her fly down the right-field line to end the game.
"Once they make one mistake they get a little nervous and the pressure gets on and 'don't hit the ball to me,'" Castellanos said. "I coach to want the ball and want to make a play. Somebody has to step up and make a play and kill the rally there. We have to get better at finishing games. Once you have teams down put them away."
Geneva also wants to cut down on its mistakes as it heads into a key part of the schedule.
"They (the errors) piled up on us today," Dierks said. "There's no excuse. We have to tighten up defensively. We have to be sharper. I felt bad for Lupe. They probably deserved to win today."