Five-run first inning helps pace St. Charles North to win over Batavia in Class 4A regional semifinal

BATAVIA – Senior Matt Kelly’s first playoff at-bat for St. Charles North was a memorable one.

With two outs in the bottom of the first inning with runners at first and second and the game knotted at 1-1, the senior had a chance to extend the inning a bit further, and even give his ballclub the lead.

And on a full-count pitch, he unloaded on a pitch, clearing the bases with a two-run double to give his team an early 3-1 lead over Batavia.

“That was awesome,” Kelly said. “Just to get the team going and get runs on the board early, that was great.”

The fifth-seeded North Stars would finish with five runs in the first inning, more than enough for them to ride to a 10-2 victory over the No. 12 Bulldogs in a Class 4A regional semifinal game.

“For us to put up five runs like that right away, that was just huge,” North Stars coach Todd Genke said. “And then the way we just kept adding on, that can be really demoralizing for a team.”

The North Stars (22-12) will face fourth-seeded South Elgin in the regional final. The two teams last faced off in a four-inning contest on April 9, where the North Stars won the shortened game 9-4.

Kelly finished Thursday’s game with three hits and three RBIs. And as one of just three seniors on the roster, Genke said that he has come through as one of the leaders on the team, especially as the season has progressed.

“I came in expecting to be a leader for this team, and I think I’ve done so,” Kelly said. “We started off slow, but the leaders have stepped up, and we’re playing hot now.”

Behind Kelly, junior Ben Auer finished with two hits and two RBIs off a bases-loaded double in the fifth. The North Stars finished with six of their 13 hits being doubles in the contest.

“We just wanted to come over, be aggressive and put the ball in play early in the count, especially against a quality pitcher,” Genke said. “But I felt like we could have gotten even more runs.”

The offense provided plenty of comfort for sophomore pitcher Matt Ritchie.

After allowing runs in the first two innings, he kept the Bulldogs scoreless for the rest of the contest. He finished allowing seven hits and one earned run while striking out eight over 6⅓ innings.

“I think he was a little nervous. I mean, he’s a sophomore pitching in a playoff game,” Genke said. “But I went up to him in the fourth inning and asked if he’s settled, and he was. He’s a big reason why we’re here, so it was great to see him settle in like that.”

Batavia (15-20-1) started the scoring in the first inning after senior Jake Mysliweic scored on a passed ball. Junior Chase Hampton would record the team’s only RBI in the second on a single that scored sophomore Michael Vander Luitgaren.

“We manufactured a run to start, but they just had the response,” Batavia coach Alex Beckmann said. “They got a couple freebies, and credit to them, they took advantage. We knew we had to weather the storm in the first couple innings, and they just did a better job of doing that.”

Despite being tagged with the loss, senior Connar Temple allowed just three earned runs and struck out eight over five innings to keep the Bulldogs close.

“He did a good job of keeping us in the game there for a while,” Beckmann said. “We were a couple of hits away from being right back in there. We battled to the end, but it was a tough draw for us.”