EDWARDSVILLE – Belleville's Hilgards had defeated the Metro East Bears twice in this truncated Illinois American Legion District 22 regular season, both by 4-3 decisions.
The Bears came out of the gates in their District 22 playoff opener with something to prove, and prove it they did, scoring four times in the bottom of the first on their way to a 9-2 win over the Hilgards to advance to a matchup Wednesday night at top-seeded Highland with a spot in Friday's final at stake. That game will be played at 7:30 p.m. at Highland's Glik Park; the Hilgards were relegated to a Thursday night elimination game at the loser of tonight's Metro-East-Highland game. A second game, if necessary, in the final would be played Saturday, with the winner going into next week's Fifth Division tournament in West Frankfort, which gets under way Monday.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Getting off to a huge start against the Hilgards – who sent Jake Frazier to the mound, who had defeated the Bears in their first regular-season matchup – proved to be a catalyst, felt Bears manager Ken Schaake. “It's just huge,” Schaake said, “and for it to be a playoff game, the first game of our double-elimination tournament, takes some pressure off of your defense, off your pitcher, puts more pressure on the other team.
“The kids are being aggressive and hitting good pitches; the main thing we tell them is 'don't be swinging at bad pitches' and get some good at-bats, don't be really anxious trying to swing at the first pitch you think you can hit – hit strikes and the first strike should be one you can hit.”
If the Bears had a chip on their shoulder after dropping the two regular-season encounters, Schaake felt that it was the playoff opener that gave his team extra motivation. “More so than (the two losses), it was we're in the playoffs,” Schaake said. “The slate's clean, it was a team that's beaten us twice and we didn't play our best games. Full credit to them, they scratched out both games to win 4-3; it was a matter that our kids wanted to make sure they played they could.
“We talked to them a little bit and said, 'don't worry about what someone else is doing; if you do your very best and our guys are doing that, things will take care of themselves.' “
The Bears went after Frazier, who was charged with the loss, early; he threw just 24 pitches before being lifted with two out in the bottom of the first after the Bears had scored four times and gotten six hits, two of them extra-base hits. “He was leaving the ball up,” said Hilgards manager Jonathon Schewppe. “I think he was trying to overthrow in the bullpen (before the game started). Everyone has a bad day.”
Cole Cimarolli and Collin Clayton got the ball rolling right away for Metro East, singling and doubling off Frazier, Clayton's double bringing in Cimarolli to get the Bears on the board right away. Jake Garella (who got the ball for the Bears and went seven innings to get the win) singled in Clayton for a 2-0 Metro East lead before Drake Hampton doubled Garella over to third; Tyler Stamer then drove in both Garella and Hampton with a single to up the lead to 4-0. A one-out walk to Cole Hansel and a Steven Patten single loaded the bases and forced Frazier from the game, being replaced by Ty Kezerian, who got the last out, but the damage had been done.
A Garella double in the second drove in Clayton and a Steven Patten triple scored Hansel before Patten scored on a Mitchell Krebs sacrifice fly for two more runs in the third to get the Bears to a 7-1 lead through three, Steven Toenjes scoring off Garella on a Wyatt Parker RBI single for the first Hilgard run; Garella wound up conceding two runs (both earned) and five hits while striking out seven in seven innings pitched for the Bears.
“We came out with a lot better focus,” Garella said. “I liked our approach at the plate, especially in that first inning, but we carried it throughout the entire game and we put some really good swings at the ball. It helps tremendously when we get a lead and I can get to the mound and do my thing. It's easy when I know I've got nine guys who'll back me up and at the plate.
“I was just going as long as I could. I felt great right all the way to the last inning and I was trying to go as far as they would let me go.”
“I'm definitely seeing the ball better,” Patten said. “I'm getting my hands back and getting my foot down a little earlier, just squaring the ball up. “Everyone in our lineup is capable of driving the ball, just really hitting the ball well; everyone is right now.”
The Bears got two more runs in the eighth thanks to a two-run Maverick McSparin homer over the fence in left-center field, with the other Hilgard run coming from Logan Betz, who scored on a grounder to first in the sixth.
Drake Hampton and Devin Colley finished up the game for Metro East, both of them retiring the side in order in the eighth and ninth to close things out. Cimarolli was 2-for-5 for the Bears, with Clayton going 1-for-5 with a double and RBI, Garella 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, Hampton 1-for-4 with a double, Stamer 2-for-4 with two RBIs, Hansel 1-for-2, Patten 2-for-4 with a triple and RBI, Krebs 1-for-3 with a RBI and McSparin 1-for-1 with a homer and two RBIs on the night.
Parker and Kezarian were both 1-for-4 for the Hilgards with a RBI each; Toenjes, Betz and Buddy Gore also had hits for Belleville.
More like this:
