Baseball: Max Babich, Sam Zagorac team up to pitch Benet past Marmion

Zagorac retires all 12 batters he faces, Babich picks off three runners in 5-2 Redwings’ win

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AURORA – Max Babich and Sam Zagorac proved to be a most unusual one-two punch for the Benet baseball team on Tuesday afternoon.

The Redwings inched ever closer to .500 with a 5-2 nonconference victory over Marmion in Aurora as Zagorac retired all 12 batters he faced to earn his third win on the season.

But it was Babich, the Benet starter, who completely befuddled Marmion as the right-hander picked off three Marmion baserunners — at first, second and third, respectively — in his three innings of work.

“That’s something I have definitely never done before,” Babich said of his three pickoffs on all the possible bases. “It’s something I have been working on with my coaches. These (Marmion) guys like to run, and we recognized that early. I felt like it made it easier for us to get the ‘W.’”

Three gift runs in the top of the first certainly aided the Redwings’ cause as well.

Marmion starter Zack Bostrand opened the game with back-to-back strikeouts, but Benet had a lead never to be overcome as Jackson Bayer, Ryan Snell and Peter Messina scored on a wild pitch, the back end of a double steal and the second Marmion error of the first inning.

Babich faced only three batters in the Cadets’ half of the first with his first pickoff.

Marmion (3-7) failed to score again in the second inning when Babich caught the lead Marmion runner napping at second with another man also on first.

In perhaps the most fateful moment, the Benet 4-0 third-inning lead — the last run coming home on a slashing Tyler Dean two-out double — was halved by the Cadets in their half.

But Babich, with Marmion runners on second and third with one out, once again terminated the threat by picking off the lead runner.

Babich ended the threat with a strikeout, and Benet (5-7) never allowed another baserunner as Zagorac mowed down all 12 batters he faced after entering in the bottom of the fourth.

“They are momentum-killers,” Benet coach Scott Lawler said of the Babich pickoffs in each of his three innings. “It helped Max out a lot in those innings.”

“Baserunning bugaboos kind of hurt us,” Marmion coach Frank Chapman said. “We competed for seven innings but just didn’t make adjustments at the plate. We got some guys on base but had some mental lapses.”

Bayer knocked in Cole Rosenthal for the Redwings’ final run.

Marmion scored its first run on consecutive Benet two-base throwing errors; Daniel Rios’ single scored the Cadets’ second run.

But Zagorac responded by striking out eight men in his four flawless innings of work.

“I am usually a starter,” Zagorac said. “I was confident with all my pitches and threw them well. I also had guys behind me backing me up.”