Baseball: 4-run 4th, relief work give Streator season-opening win over Hall

SPRING VALLEY – Two ballclubs with upperclassmen stepping into more featured roles and underclassmen stepping up into big roles, as well, host Hall and visiting Streator saw some good things from their new-look rosters in Wednesday’s season opener at Kirby Park.

The Bulldogs just saw a little more.

Streator used an opportunistic, four-run top of the fourth inning to capture the lead and held on late for a 6-3 victory over the Red Devils. Bulldogs senior Zander McCloskey – one of those upperclassmen taking on a larger role – drove in what proved to be the the game-winning run on a fielder’s choice in that fateful fourth, then took the mound in the home half of the sixth to work 1 1/3 innings of scoreless ball to earn the save.

“I can’t complain about my team’s defense, and all I had to do was put it over the plate, throw strikes and rely on my team to make the play for me,” McCloskey said.

“This was a beautiful day to start off with. We never have this nice of weather. This was perfect, and to get out here and get a nice win, 6-3, can’t complain.”

Hall (0-1) led in the early going, greeting expected Streator ace Jacob Hagie with single runs in the first and second innings. A leadoff double from Luke Bryant in the first and one-out walk drawn by Izzaq Zrust in the second set the table for the Red Devils, with RBI groundouts off the bats of first Max Bryant and then Greyson Bickett driving them home.

Hagie (no decision, 3 IP, 1 ER, 6 K) settled in, however. In the fourth the Bulldogs finally got to Hall starter Payton Dye (loss, 3+ IP, 1 ER, 3 K) with a pair of fielding errors opening the door to a four-run frame that included an RBI single from Streator freshman Colin Byers and McCloskey’s aforementioned game-winning RBI.

“We just got in our own way defensively there a little bit,” said Red Devils coach Tom Keegan, whose team committed three errors, leading to three unearned runs. “And Streator capitalized on that. First game is what it looked like, and offensively it will be a work in progress.

“Our pitchers for the most part battled, did what they could do and kept us in the ballgame, and we showed a little spunk at the end. But the game gives, the game takes.”

Armed with the lead, right-handed junior Blaize Bressner (win, 2 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 3 K) came on in relief of the southpaw Hagie and held the Red Devils there until giving way to McCloskey with two outs in the sixth and a 4-3 lead. Streator freshman catcher Jerrod Clark – who was 0 for 5 throwing out base stealers to that point – ended the sixth by throwing out the potential tying run trying to steal second.

“Hats off to Jerrod coming up big in that situation,” Streator coach Beau Albert said.

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Hall's Payton Dye picks up a bunted ball as teammate Joel Koch backs away while Streator's Colin Byers sprints safely into first base on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at Kirby Park in Spring Valley. (Scott Anderson)

Streator added two insurance runs on singles from Noah Camp, Landon Muntz, Cole Winterrowd and Hagie (RBI) in the seventh, and McCloskey (save, 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 K) stranded the bases loaded with a strikeout of Hall cleanup hitter Joel Koch to end the threat and the ballgame between the old North Central Illinois Conference rivals.

“Jake settled in,” Albert said, “and like we told him in the [postgame] huddle, it’s probably not going to be his best game of the year, but he did enough to keep us in it holding them to two runs. It was great to see [Bressner and McCloskey] throwing and doing so well ... because they’re guys we’re going to rely on all season.

“I didn’t think our at-bats were terrible [before the fourth-inning rally]. Hats off to [Hall’s first] two throwers, because those were two good 2A arms, in my opinion. But the second time around we got a couple guys on, got ’em over and started getting some big hits.”

Luke Bryant for Hall and Byers for Streator provided the only multi-hit games with two safe hits apiece.

Zrust (3 IP, 2 ER, 5 K) and Koch (1 IP, 0 R, 1 K) also pitched for the Red Devils.