GHS Soph Baseball Team Picks Up First Loss But Rebounds Quickly

As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The Geneva High School sophomore baseball team learned that the hard way last week as they suffered their first loss of the 2011 season, snapping a 10-game winning streak. The week overall was still a success as they won three of four contests.

The Vikings started the week on the right foot, earning a decisive 7-0 win over South Elgin. Mitch Endriukaitis and Danny Berendt smacked solo home runs in the second and third innings respectively, giving starter Andy Honiotes all the breathing room he would need. Honiotes contributed his own three-run blast in the fifth inning to put the game away. He was dominant on the mound, giving up just three hits and two walks in a complete-game effort.

Metea Valley got more of the same the next day, as Geneva took them down by a score of 9-1. Jeremy Hanson chipped in a longball for the visitors and went 2-for-4, while Bryce Rentschler collected two hits of his own. On the mound, Brock Chenier pitched five strong innings to earn the victory, giving up two hits and striking out three while walking just one batter.

Wednesday’s game against Neuqua Valley broke the pattern, though, as the Vikings tried but couldn’t overcome seven errors, falling 10-9 to earn their first loss of the season. Things looked bad right from the first inning as the Wildcats picked up five unearned runs thanks to Geneva’s miscues.

The Vikings fought back, though, and were able to tie the game twice in the fifth and sixth innings. Anthony Bragg and Luke Polishak led the charge, as both players went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. The Wildcats had just enough left in the tank, though, scratching out one more in the bottom of the sixth off reliever Tony Landi to come out on top.  

With that first loss out of the way, the Vikings seemed to have a weight lifted from their shoulders the next day, pummeling East Aurora in a 16-0, five-inning thrashing. Geneva scored in every inning but the fourth, and made the most noise in the second inning when they lit up for six runs.

Brock Chenier and Matt Cruse each drove in three runs, and Cruse did it without getting a single hit. Mike Trimble knocked in two of his own on a 3-for-4 day.

At the end of the week, the sophomores improved to 11-1 on the season.