Streator rallies in fourth inning to stun Ottawa, 16-6

STREATOR – The Streator Bulldogs pulled off an improbable comeback after being down 6-2 against the Ottawa Pirates on Thursday night in Streator.

Both teams’ seasons were trending in opposite directions before the nonconference rivalry game, with Ottawa riding a five-game win streak and Streator struggling with just two wins in its last seven games.

After a close start, Ottawa looked poised to continue its hot start and pull away in the fourth inning after first baseman Jackson Mangold’s two-run blast over the center field fence gave the Pirates a 6-2 lead.

However, those would be the last runs Ottawa scored the rest of the game.

In stunning fashion, the Bulldogs answered in the bottom of the fourth with a seven-run rally, capitalizing on seven walks and three hits to take a 9-6 lead over their rivals.

The biggest blow came from Streator starting pitcher Colin Byers, who delivered a two-run single to tie the game 6-6.

From that point on, Streator seized complete control.

The Bulldogs added five insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, with first baseman Cole Winterrowd driving in two runs with a double and third baseman Clay Christoff and pinch-hitting Tristan Finley each contributing singles that brought in one and two runs, respectively.

After Finley’s single, Streator sealed the 16-6 victory by mercy rule in the sixth inning.

Bulldogs coach Beau Albert praised his team’s resilience after the slow start.

“We’ve had a rough go lately with some defensive miscues and missed opportunities with runners on base, but after that fourth inning, the team showed a lot of heart,” Albert said. “We got some good at-bats, played solid defense and took advantage of some mistakes.”

Albert made sure to single out pitcher/right fielder Isiah Wiebel, who came in out of the bullpen and was instrumental in the comeback.

“Zay was lights out when he came in today. He was throwing gas and mixing in that sweeper. His performance was a huge boost for us,” Albert said.

Wiebel contributed both on the mound and at the plate, throwing two scoreless, hitless innings with three strikeouts while also going 2-for-4 with a walk and driving in four RBIs.

“Playing Ottawa is always fun, especially in a comeback game like this,” Wiebel said. “I almost didn’t come out this year since I’m committed to play football at Benedictine, but I wanted to play one last season with my guys, and these moments definitely make it worthwhile.”

Ottawa coach Levi Ericson attributed his team’s loss to a struggle with control on the mound, as the Pirates issued 14 total walks.

“It’s pretty simple what went wrong for us today,” Ericson said. “When you walk that many guys, you’re not going to win. We had trouble throwing strikes, and it cost us.”

Despite the loss, Ericson remained focused on the bigger picture.

With the Pirates sitting at 7-2, he stressed this loss could serve as a valuable learning opportunity.

“This is our first game where we really let ourselves down on the mound,” Ericson said. “Our staff has been preaching all year that the pitchers need to pound the zone, but we’ll learn from today and get better.”

Ottawa’s offense was led by third baseman Brendyn Fuchs, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Pirates shortstop Jacob Rosetto also contributed a 2-for-3 performance, driving in one run.

The Pirates managed to collect eight hits as a team, with Fuchs and Rosetto’s multi-hit games providing a majority of the offense.

Looking ahead, Streator will travel to La Salle-Peru this Saturday, while Ottawa will hit the road Friday to face Somonauk.