Baseball: Noah Mottet continues to make most of his chance, pitches Oswego past Oswego East

OSWEGO – Noah Mottet did not know how major a role he would play in Oswego’s pitching staff this season, but injuries helped open the door.

He’s taken his chance, and run with it.

The crafty junior lefthander has emerged as a steady member of the Panthers’ rotation that gives his team a shot to win every time out. On Wednesday, Mottet delivered in his biggest start.

Mottet pitched into the seventh inning in his longest outing of the season. Xavier recruit Tyler Stack homered, and visiting Oswego held on to beat Oswego East 5-3 in the second of a three-game series to retake sole possession of the Southwest Prairie West lead.

Mottet (4-0) scattered four hits and four walks, striking out three, and left after giving up an RBI single to Cody Haynes with one out in the seventh that made it 5-2. Dylan McGee, Oswego’s third pitcher of the seventh, came on to get the last two outs with the tying run on base.

“I just went up there and did what I needed to do and the people behind me made the plays,” Mottet said. “It ended up being enough to get us the win.”

Ethan Valles went 2-for-4, reached base three times and scored Oswego’s first two runs and Chase Gerwig went 2-for-3 and reached base three times for the Panthers (19-9, 9-2). Mike Polubinski was 2-for-3, reached base three times and singled in a run in the seventh for Oswego East (17-8, 8-3).

Oswego, with limited varsity innings returning on its staff from last year’s team that reached a sectional final, has counted on several juniors to piece things together.

That became even more of a necessity when Eddie Scaccia was sidelined earlier this season with a shoulder injury, and with Oswego’s other top returning starter Bryson Mello currently on the shelf.

Mottet, joining the rotation in April, has been a small revelation. He had allowed just two earned runs in 14 1/3 innings over three starts coming into Wednesday’s game.

“We had a couple injuries early on, I got my chance, made the most of it and kept building off it,” Mottet said.

Stack, Oswego’s third-year starting catcher, isn’t surprised with those kind of results after witnessing the work Mottet has put into his craft.

“He stepped up in a tremendous way,” Stack said. “We’ve been battling injuries top to bottom and he has worked all offseason, even in the beginning of the season when he wasn’t getting innings. He was always working on his craft and it shows on the field. He definitely hits his spots and he is someone we can trust to get the job done keeping hitters off balance.”

Oswego East put runners on base in every inning against Mottet, but he was able to minimize the damage. The Wolves’ lone run through six innings came in the second, as Zach Polubinski reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch.

Mottet kept them at bay beyond that, with help from his defense. In the sixth Valles and Gerwig turned a slick 4-6-3 double play to maintain a 3-1 lead.

“He kind of made his way through the starting rotation, Mello went down and he stepped up and took advantage of his opportunities,” Oswego coach Joe Giarrante said. “He is such a good change of pace guy. He can locate all three pitches in and out, up and down – he’s crafty. He doesn’t wow people but if you make plays behind him he’s very good.”

And Mottet pitched into the seventh for the first time this season, leaving after 88 pitches.

“I’ve gone five innings twice, but this is my first time past five,” Mottet said. “It was a little hot out there, I was getting tired but I knew I had a good defense behind me. As long as I was throwing in the zone I knew we would make plays.”

Oswego’s offense, held in check by Oswego East’s Griffin Sleyko in a 4-1 loss Tuesday, turned the page and capitalized on its chances.

Valles doubled to lead off the second and scored on a Ben Hernandez single, and Valles reached on an error in the fourth and came home on Troy Vosburgh’s tough-hop single past third for a 2-1 lead. In the fifth Gerwig doubled and scored on a Cade Duffin sacrifice fly.

Oswego tacked on what proved to be two big insurance runs in the seventh. Stack hit a solo homer to left, and Trey Hernandez doubled and scored on an error.

“We just had to clear our minds,” Stack said. “That was a big crowd last night, a lot of pressure on that game. Having that game behind us we came into this game just wanting to be a tough out and it showed. Almost everyone put the ball in play. When you’re forcing the other team to make plays you’re going to get runners on.”

Indeed, Oswego struck out just three times off Oswego East starter Body Bregar, who wasn’t helped by his defense. The Wolves committed three errors, and all three led to Oswego runs.

“I think that was the big difference is they took advantage of the errors that we gave them,” Oswego East coach Brian Schaeffer said. “That’s what you have to do to be successful.”