DeKalb ends Elgin's season

DeKALB - The Elgin baseball team dug itself a hole far too deep to climb out of Wednesday in a season-ending 10-3 loss to the host Barbs in the semifinals of the Class 4A DeKalb regional.

The top-seeded Barbs (18-16) scored 7 runs in the first two innings and never looked back in advancing to Saturday's 11 a.m. championship game against the winner of Thursday's Larkin-Rockford East game.

"That puts you in a tough spot," said Elgin coach David Foerster of the early deficit. "Unfortunately we didn't go out and play our best today."

With one out in the bottom of the first, DeKalb junior pitcher Connor Hoyle started the Barbs' hit parade with a double to right field. Before the inning was over, DeKalb had plated 3 runs, the big hit coming off the bat of senior Jake Kuykendall, who blasted a 2-run triple to right.

The Barbs then added 4 runs in the second as Dylan Farrell had a 2-run double, his second of 3 doubles in the game, Kuykendall drove in another run and Elgin (9-28) gave up another on an error.

"We got behind a lot of hitters," Foerster said. "We struggled to throw strikes today and that makes it tough. They got good counts and they got the hits."

The fourth-seeded Maroons scored 2 unearned runs in the top of the third as DeKalb made 2 of its 5 errors on the day but Elgin squandered a couple opportunities to close the gap further.

Scotty Palmer, who had 2 of Elgin's 4 hits in the game, drove in Eddy Ramos in the fifth but it was too little too late for Elgin.

"We haven't been consistent offensively all year," Foerster said. "We needed somebody to split a gap and we didn't get it."

Palmer, one of four pitchers Foerster sent to the hill, took the loss for the Maroons, who gave up 11 hits and 9 earned runs.

Hoyle went the distance for DeKalb, striking out 4 and walking 1.