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SYCAMORE – In a win on Saturday over DeKalb, a couple of bunts sparked a big inning for Sycamore.
In a 14-10 win over Ottawa on Tuesday, a bases-loaded bunt single by Tyler Lojko drove in a run and prolonged a pivotal seven-run sixth inning.
“It was definitely a risky move, but it worked out in the end,” Lojko said. “It got us moving again, got some more runs on the board, some security. It ended up paying off in the end. So I like it. I like it a lot.”
The Spartans (14-9 overall, 6-5 Interstate 8) gave up four in the top of the sixth as the Pirates (12-12, 4-7) closed to within 7-5.
The first six Spartans reached in the bottom of the sixth, including RBI singles by Nate Lojko and Ben Anderson. Tyler Lojko‘s bunt single brought home his brother and set Nate Prebil up for a two-out, three-run double.
“I love my team for that,” Tyler Lojko said. “I love that we can stay up and stay moving. We don’t get down.”
Those last four runs were crucial, the difference in the game. Sycamore coach Jason Cavanaugh turned to Evan Munch, who usually closes games out for the Spartans.
But Colt Bryson singled and Adam Swanson homered. Jace Veith followed with a double and Cavanaugh brought in Hunter Hoerchler. He walked the first two batters he faced and gave up an RBI single to Jacob Rosetto, but got the last three outs to close the door.
“It‘s like the wheels just came off there at the end,” Cavanaugh said. “I thought we played a pretty good baseball game until the last two innings. We gave up a bunch of runs.”
Lucas Farbaugh rocketed a two-run triple in the Ottawa sixth then scored on a groundout by George Shumway to get the Pirates into the game after trailing 7-1.
Sycamore had a four-run fourth in which Ottawa pitching allowed a walk and two hit batters. For the day, the Pirates surrendered five walks and hit four batters. The walks issued by Hoerchler were the only ones given up by Sycamore in the game.
“Free bases are what kills you in high school baseball,” Ottawa coach Levi Ericson said. “We probably walked five or six guys and hit four or five guys, so a team of Sycamore’s caliber, when you give them that many free bases, it‘s tough to win.”
Tyler Lojko bunted for a hit to lead off the game and drove in Anderson with a two-out bunt single in the second. He also had a single up the right side in the fourth and scored.
He was 4 for 5 on the day, drove in a pair of runs and scored twice.
“A lot of times, I don’t know if they’re above bunting or don’t bunt on their travel teams,” Cavanaugh said. “But we practice it every day. Tyler’s bought into it. ... The one in the seventh, after that the floodgates kind of opened. After that, Prebil gets a three-run double.”
Prebil finished with pair of hits - both doubles in the sixth inning - scored twice and drove in four. Anderson and Jack Block each had two hits, two runs and two RBIs while Sawyer Valdez had a pair of hits and scored twice. Nate Lojko had three RBIs.
Swanson and Veith had three hits and scored twice for the Pirates, with Swanson driving in two. Farabaugh and Shumway each had two RBIs, Veith, Brendyn Fuchs and Carretto had two runs each. Fuchs had a pair of hits as each team had 14 hits in the game.
“Obviously, it‘s hard losing a game like this and giving up seven in the bottom of the sixth is kind of a punch in the gut,” Ericson said. “For us to answer there and having one of our core guys throwing again on Thursday [Swanson] makes us feel like we’re in a pretty good spot to hopefully compete and see what happens.”