Geneva baseball head coach Brad Wendell knows that his team has plenty of speed on the base paths.

It’s been a trademark for the Vikings, who entered Wednesday’s Class 3A sectional semifinal against Belvidere North with six players recording double-digit swiped bags.

And in their first sectional appearance since 2021, they made it very apparent.

The Vikings finished the game with 10 stolen bases, as the offense made much use of its aggressive base running to secure a 12-1 victory over the Blue Thunder.

“It’s just something that we’ve done well all season, and we’re going to continue to take advantage of it when we can,” Wendell said. “I’ve got guys that can move a bit, so we’re going to continue to play hard and be aggressive.”

Geneva (31-7) will go on to face fourth-seeded Boylan in the sectional final at 11 a.m. Saturday in Sycamore. The Titans took down Wheaton Academy 7-4 in their sectional semifinal.

Leading the Vikings on the base paths was Tate Beran, who swiped four bags over the course of the contest, including two in the top of the second before scoring on a wild pitch to jumpstart a three-run inning to put the Vikings up 5-0.

“We practice on the bases every single day and it translates really well into the game,” Beran said. “A big part of our game is staying aggressive, and doing that can turn a single into a double or a double into a triple with it.”

Leadoff hitter Mason Bruesch set the tone early with the Vikings with a leadoff triple in the first before coming home on a sacrifice fly by Nick Torrence. He also added a two-run single in the fifth inning to put the Vikings up 10-0.

“Mason has been our bat and our best player all year for reasons like that,” Wendell said. “He’s the lead off, he steals bases, he plays defense really well and can also pitch too.”

The early offense set the tone for sophomore pitcher AJ Minderman on the mound, who kicked off the game with four scoreless innings while the offense piled on the score.

“I’m kind of used to having the early lead because our offense just does it so much,” Minderman said. “It’s always really helpful for me, so I always appreciate what the hitters can do up there because it’s super helpful for my confidence and just allows me to go out there and feel loose.”

The Vikings found themselves a strike away from securing the win via the run rule in the fifth inning before Austin Hackworth hit an RBI triple to keep the game alive. Minderman would go one more inning on the mound, finishing the game allowing one run off four hits while striking out five in 5⅔ innings.

Aidan Hall would get the lead back to double digits with an RBI single in the seventh, with Gavin Dworak driving in one more to make it 12-1.

“At this time of year, if you can get someone to go the distance you want him to go, so I was kind of disappointed he didn’t get to finish how he wanted,” Wendell said. “He had two strikes on the batter, but credit to the kid. He competed and hit it in the gap, but I think Minderman and all of us wanted to end it early.”

In the second sectional semifinal, the Warriors (29-9) showed some grit early in the game. After going down 2-0 in the first inning, the Warriors showed some fight with a pair of RBI hits from Eli Tate and Lincoln Park, tying the contest at 2-2.

“All I can ask for is opportunities,” Warriors coach Justin Swider said. “We had runners in scoring position multiple times in the game. They continued to battle the entire way through. One swing could break open the game in a little different way.”

The Titans got the break in the contest, with the biggest coming in the fifth inning. After Gavin Pigott gave them a 3-2 lead on an RBI groundout the inning before, Michael Davenport kicked off a three-run inning with an RBI double before the Titans recorded back-to-back RBI fielder’s choices to extend the lead to 6-2.

“I told the guys that two great teams were going to come play and they just made more plays than we did, a few more key pitches and had more timely hits,” Swider said. “Sometimes hits are going to fall, sometimes plays will be made or not, and that’s the nature of baseball at these times. And you’ve just got to tip your cap to them.”

Dallas Johnston drove in the only other runs in the game with a two-run double in the top of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 6-4. The Titans would add on another run in the bottom half of that inning, securing the end for the Warriors, who finished with the second-most wins in program history.

“One game isn’t an illustration of our season, so I’m really proud of these boys,” Swider said. “We were conference champions, secured our third regional title in four years. There’s a lot to be proud of for these guys. It’s a hard pill to swallow though and it’s hard to be on every game, but to be in this spot is a success in my eyes.”