Baker, key hits lift Oglesby past Spring Valley for D-20 Major title

OTTAWA – Maks Baker knew what he was up against when he took the mound for Oglesby in the District 20 Major (12-year-old) championship game at Varland Park on Tuesday.

From what he’d seen of Spring Valley, his team’s title game opponent, in Oglesby’s win earlier in the tournament, it had some pretty tough bats in the order.

But using confidence, a sizzling fastball and an occasional curveball, the stocky right-hander was more that up to the task.

Baker surrendered an unearned run in the first inning, but struck out 11 and held the Valley boys without a second hit until they were down to their last out.

That’s when he turned the game over to his little brother, Bruno Baker, to finish off Oglesby’s 11-1, four-inning victory and their second consecutive D-20 title.

The Bakers were not alone in their mastery as the winners also banged out eight hits – two each by Nick Campbell and Eli Hammers – and got a pair of RBIs from Gavin Stokes, Brady Blomquist and Hammers off SV hurlers Braxton Smith and Gage Olson.

The key rally was a seven-run second inning that, considering how Maks Baker was throwing, was the clincher.

“I was just mainly focusing on throwing hard and throwing strikes,” Maks Baker said. “I knew from the last game their top five hitters could hit, so that run in the first inning really didn’t bother me. … When they came around I mixed in the curveball a little more, when it’s 0-2 or 1-2.

“It feels good to be a district champion again. Back to back, that’s pretty nice.”

In the first, Maks Baker struck out the side, but in between permitted a grounder by Olson that was erred and an RBI single to center field by Karson Hanson. After that, he settled in and, though he walked three, finished with each of the 11 outs he recorded all by strikeout.

Bruno Baker gave up a single by Chaz Thrasher before getting the last out.

“Maks is a gamer,” Oglesby manager Mike Balestri said. “He’s a workhorse who gets stronger as the game goes on. He could have gone the distance if we needed him to tonight. I can’t say enough about his effort. He’s a great pitcher.

“That last time we played them, we just didn’t hit well, didn’t get that hit with runners in scoring position, so we got into the cages yesterday and worked, then came out today, hit up and down the lineup and today we got a few of those. Credit Spring Valley. They have a great team and did a great job coming back to get here tonight. … I’m just so proud of our guys.”

Down 1-0, Oglesby bounced back with three runs in the bottom half, starting with a bunt single by Hunter Freeman. An error and a walk later, Freeman scored on a wild pitch before Blomquist rapped a two-run single to right.

The decisive second frame began with a single by Hammers, a walk to Freeman and a two-run hit by Stokes. Singles by Maks Baker and Campbell plated three more runs and chased Smith for Olson.

Two walks and Hammers’ second hit of the inning made it 10-1 Oglesby.

A triple by Campbell and an error on the play in the home third created the game-shortening lead.

“Things worked out good for them, for (Baker) to come back off his rest,” Spring Valley coach Craig Olson said. “We knew that he’d be here and we hoped we’d be ready for him, but we weren’t. And they hit the ball well, too. Our ace went in the first game against them and that one was a hard one to swallow: a 4-2 loss with three unearned runs given up.

“We still had some good pitching left, but they just hit the ball hard against us. When you hit the ball that hard that many times, you’re going to find openings, but also one or two between the legs. That’s baseball.”