Baseball: Six-run second inning propels Batavia past Geneva

BATAVIA – Batavia made it two in a row against Geneva with a dominant 12-2 DuKane Conference victory that ended in the bottom of the sixth inning Monday.

Senior Nate Nazos led the Bulldogs (7-14, 4-6) with a stellar performance. He pitched 4 1/3 innings of shutout ball, delivering five strikeouts.

“The fastball was moving pretty fast today and the arm was feeling good,” Nazos said. “The biggest thing is trusting the guys behind me.”

After Nazos and Geneva starting pitcher Seth Kisner, a senior, made quick work of the first inning, the Bulldogs’ offense opened up.

In the bottom of the second, senior shortstop Ryan Boe singled to open the inning and start a rally. A pair of walks by junior second baseman Darren Barnes and Nazos loaded the bases with no outs. Junior first baseman Payton Wolff singled to left field, bringing in the game’s first run.

Freshman catcher Brandon Oke followed with another single, making it 2-0 with no outs.

Batting around in the order, Boe got his second RBI of the inning on an infield hit before a two-run double by senior outfielder Henry Haug.

A controversial call that ended the bottom of the second inning allowed the sixth run to cross the plate. Haug, caught in a rundown, bought enough time for the runner on third to cross home plate before Haug was called out. Geneva coach Brad Wendell had a lengthy conversation with the home plate umpire after the call.

“We’re always trying to stay focused on our job and things we can control and certain things you can’t control,” Wendell said. “So what can we control is stay focused in the game and come back tomorrow and take care of those things.”

Nazos set the Vikings (15-4-1, 6-4-1) down in order in the top of the third. Kisner settled in after the second inning and set down the Bulldgos in order in the bottom of the third.

In the bottom of the fourth, junior Connor Temple came in to relieve Nazos with runners on first and second with one out. A strikeout and fly ball got Temple out of the inning and kept the score 6-0.

Geneva broke through in the top of the sixth when senior catcher Sawyer Venditti doubled, scoring senior John Rueth. The Vikings added another run when senior second baseman Sam Seykora singled to cut the deficit to 6-2.

In the bottom of the sixth, Kisner was replaced by senior Logan Bova. Wolff and senior Bryce Burgoni drew walks. Junior Keegan Harp came off the bench and was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Senior outfielder Ryne Woods doubled down the first-base line, making it 8-2.

Haug added to his day with a single to extend the lead to 10-2.

Senior third baseman Jacob Aseltine homered to left-center field to end the game on the run rule.

“We just had to see a couple of things fall our way,” Batavia coach Alex Beckmann said. “We had a rough start and played some really solid programs that prepared us a lot for conference play. We kind of figured things out along the way and getting Connor Temple back has made a big difference for us as well.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2024/04/30/baseball-six-run-second-inning-propels-batavia-past-geneva/