EDWARDSVILLE — Metro-East Bears manager Ken Schaake put it best after Monday night’s American Legion baseball game against Festus, Mo. Post 257.
“We did a lot of the little things right,” Schaake said after seeing his Bears defeat Festus 4-3 at Roy E. Lee Field on the campus of SIU-Edwardsville.
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Austin Ruesch shook off a tough start to pitch six strong innings in his first start in nearly a year, giving up five hits and striking out 11 while giving up only two walks — one intentionally-to get the win for the Bears.
“Austin hadn’t pitched in probably about a year in competition,” Schaake said, “he came out and threw six strong innings for us, kept us in the game, gave up the two-run homer in the first inning, but after that, they scored on (a) handle shot into center field. He held us there for six innings, and Tate Wargo came in and closed the door for us in the seventh.”
And again, it came down to executing the little plays that can mean the difference in winning or losing a game.
“As I told them, we did a lot of the little things right at the plate,” Schaake said. “Ground balls with guys on third base, it doesn’t show as a hit in your batting average, but we score the run; it’s a RBI. We did that a couple of times. And guys were swinging, as opposed to just taking a strike or swinging too hard, putting the ball in play for us, and we came up with four runs.”
Things started out rather roughly for Ruesch and the Bears in the first. With one out, Cameron Beck line a single up the middle, and Collin Mann followed up with a two-run homer over the right field fence to give Festus an early 2-0 lead. The Bears pulled a run back in the bottom of the frame, starting with back-to-back singles by Chance Foss and Cole Hansel. Foss then stole third, and scored on a grounder to second by Blake Vandiver.
Metro-East drew level for the first time in the second, starting with a lead-off single from Wargo, who promptly stole second, and later advanced to third on a passed ball. With runners on first and third, Konnar Loewen hit into a fielder’s choice, forcing Dane Sellars at second, but bringing Wargo in with the tying run.
Festus took the lead back in their half of the third, starting with a solid Charlie Dix single up the middle to open. Blake Porter struck out, but Beck drew a walk, and Mann got the base hit up the middle to score Dix and put Festus back up 3-2. Ruesch struck out Zach Meyer and got Sean McDowell to ground to third to end the inning.
The Bears then took the lead for good in the bottom of the third, starting when Hansel made a hustling play to turn a single into a double. Hansel scored one out later when Steve Patton reached on a throwing error by the third baseman, with Patton going to second on the play. Storm Coffman singled home Patton with the lead run, but the Bears couldn’t extend their lead.
Meanwhile, Ruesch settled in and pitched brilliantly in the middle innings, at one point retiring five in a row, fanning six along the way. The Festus defense also kept themselves in the game, as Porter made a great throw from center to get Sean Yates at third, trying to advance on a fly ball.
Wargo relieved Ruesch in the seventh, and walked Dix to lead off. But a force play at second by Sellars and a perfectly executed double play between Loewen, Foss and Hansel ended the game in favor of the Bears.
Schaake was very impressed with the way his team battled back from the deficits.
“(We) battled back,” Schaake said. “2-0, 2-1, 3-2, finally went up 4-3, but got a lot of guys playing out of position a little bit. It’s a great ball club right there. They did some solid things in the field, fielded the ground balls. Dane Sellars did a good job; they had a guy on first base in the last inning, and rather than rushing the throw, he made a good throw to second base, got the one, and then Storm and Chance turned the double play to end the game.”
And Ruesch came in for praise from his manager as well.
“When he needed to, he seemed to have a little bit extra that he came with,” Schaake said, “and did a good job for us. Like I said, he kept us in the ball game, and that’s all you can ask for from your pitcher — left us with the lead.”
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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