Baseball: Gale, Conant end Barrington streak
Conant’s Logan Gale swept Barrington and some streaks away.
Gale’s bases-loaded triple in the third inning helped propel Conant past Barrington 6-4 Wednesday in Barrington.
The win ended a pair of losing streaks for Conant (16-5, 8-3). The biggest of those was a 16-game losing streak to Barrington which dated back to May 11, 2015.
The Cougars were also in the midst of a modest two-game losing streak with losses Monday to Barrington and Tuesday to Buffalo Grove.
But with the win Wednesday, Conant is back in a tie with Barrington (15-7-1, 8-3) for the lead atop the MSL West. Palatine is also 8-3 in the conference after the Pirates’ 13-1 win over Hoffman Estates.
“We played very well,” Conant coach Derek Fivelson said. “At the start, Bryce’s (Loeger) pitch count was up. He kept his count down in the fifth and sixth and finished with a complete game.”
Things didn’t go well at the outset for Conant or starting pitcher Loeger. Barrington tallied twice in the bottom of the first.
Conor Fitzpatrick singled to lead off the inning. After advancing to third, he scored as Patrick Podlesnik grounded out to third and Fitzpatrick then beat the throw home from first base. Julian Ashley-Friedman then scored on Noah Rasmussen’s RBI single to make it 2-0.
Conant, which had been stymied in the first two innings, got its offense together in the third.
The Cougars loaded the bases on Jacob Szpiganowicz’ single, Josh Barnett’s double that just slid over third base and Loeger’s walk.
After a strikeout, Gale came up and faced a 1-2 count. The senior drilled an inside pitch that was just fair down the right field line to clear the bases.
“I am looking and I am just saying that it better not go foul,” said Gale, who ended up on third standing up.
“My last at-bat on Monday against Barrington, I did the same thing but it went foul. I just got my luck back right there.”
Gale then came home Isaiah Rhodes’ fielder’s choice to make it 4-2.
The Dartmouth-bound Loeger settled down after a tough first inning. He handcuffed the Broncos from the second through sixth innings. At one point, he fanned five in a row.
“I just came out and competed,” Loeger said. “I didn’t feel like I had my best stuff today. But that’s what I do. I go out and compete for these guys.”
Loeger got some offensive help in the final two innings. Matthew Maize blasted a solo homer to right in the sixth. Loeger then helped himself in the seventh when he belted a no-doubter to left to make it 6-2.
“It felt great off the bat,” Maize said. “They kept pitching me inside with the curveballs. They were breaking late, so I thought I would move up on the plate and catch it before it breaks.”
Conant needed those runs as Barrington mounted a furious comeback in the bottom of the seventh.
Rasmussen walked and Bryce Koch singled to lead off the inning. They both came into score on John Albrech’s double. But Loeger settled down after a visit from Fivelson, striking out two of the final three batters.
“It was important that we extended the lead when we did,” Fivelson said. “It makes a difference. I am proud of these guys.”
Barrington coach Pat Wire said he is looking for his team to rebound.
“They were hungry,” Wire said. “We knew we were going to face their best effort. We got up on them early which was huge. After they went back up, our guys kind of got out of their element. We have a long way to go. We have to play golf now. It’s just par.”