Defensive lapses hurt Hubs baseball team against Rockford Boylan

Titans score five unanswered runs to top Rochelle 8-3

Russell Hodges
Posted 3/20/18

The Hubs varsity baseball team went down to the wire against Rockford Boylan last season, and for the second straight year it looked like both teams could be fighting a battle to the finish.

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Defensive lapses hurt Hubs baseball team against Rockford Boylan

Titans score five unanswered runs to top Rochelle 8-3

Posted

ROCHELLE — The Hubs varsity baseball team went down to the wire against Rockford Boylan last season, and for the second straight year it looked like both teams could be fighting a battle to the finish.

Both teams went back-and-forth over the first four innings at Rochelle Township High School on Wednesday, and the nonconference game remained tied 3-3 heading into the top of the fifth inning. But some defensive miscues in the field by the Hubs created several scoring opportunities for the Titans, who piled up five unanswered runs over the final three innings to defeat Rochelle by a final score of 8-3. The loss drops Rochelle to 1-1 overall.

“They did a good job putting the ball in play,” head coach Jarrod Reynolds said. “I don’t think they hit the ball extremely hard or extremely well, but they put us in positions where we had to make some plays and unfortunately we struggled to make plays and throw guys out at first base. That ultimately hurt us.”

Junior Brandon Johnson pitched two shutout innings to start the game for Rochelle before Rockford Boylan drew first blood in the top of the third inning on a bases-loaded walk. The Hubs answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to jump ahead 2-1. Johnson singled to left, and Kisner singled up the middle before junior Johnny Beck drilled an RBI double to plate Johnson. Beck then scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Noah Mershon.

“I’m very encouraged with how we’re swinging the bats,” Reynolds said. “We’re being aggressive and we’re hitting balls hard… We’re taking pretty good swings but today it was a surprise that we only scored three runs… As the weather warms up we think that things will continue to get better. We just need to string more hits together.”

Rockford Boylan plated two runs in the top of the fourth inning to retake the lead 3-2, but the Hubs tied the game after senior Blake Albers clubbed a high fly ball over the right field fence for a solo home run. Albers missed all of last season to rehab from an injury, and Reynolds said the senior infielder could be a key contributor moving forward.

“He’s a kid who’s competing for a spot in the lineup,” Reynolds said. “I wasn’t expecting any home runs with the weather being so cold and with the wind blowing in, but Blake took a great swing and that wasn’t a cheap home run by any stretch. I’m really happy for him… If he keeps taking swings like that he’ll be a big part of what we’re trying to do offensively.”

The Titans tacked on one run in each of the next two innings to lead 5-3 after six innings. Defensive mistakes including a pop fly that fell in the infield and a wild throw beyond first base allowed Rockford Boylan to get runners on base and send runners home with ease. The Titans iced their victory with three runs in the top of the seventh inning.

“We really need to work on our ground ball defense and some of that just has to do with not being outside much,” Reynolds said. “Part of it is probably my fault because we focus so much on hitting and throwing that the defense isn’t ready to go right away. But we’re going to get more reps in and as we get more days outside we’re going to be OK.”