Seven errors in any baseball game is bound to give the team committing them some trouble.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Just ask Highland, who had those seven errors in their American Legion Illinois District 22 opening-round playoff game against the Metro East Bears at Gordon Moore Park/Lloyd Hopkins Field Tuesday night. The Bears took advantage of the Highland miscues and went on to advance with a 10-1 win, sending them to a winner's bracket game at 7:30 p.m. tonight against Swansea-Fairview Heights, who defeated Belleville 4-2 in 12 innings.
The winner of tonight's game advances to the final at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with a second game set for Saturday if necessary. The loser is relegated to an elimination game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday against the Highland-Belleville winner; that game will be played at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Belleville.
“That was a super win,” said Bears manager Ken Schaake. “We got a nine-inning complete game from Aaron (Jackson) and took advantage of their mistakes. Aaron threw strikes, mixed up his locations really kept them off-balance.”
Jackson took the loss against the Giants in an 11-inning game Sunday evening, the first of a doubleheader, when he gave up a bases-loaded walk, but shook off the loss and took the ball. “(Schaake) asked me if I could pitch,” Jackson said, “and I said yes; I love pitching. I'd keep doing it until my arm hurts or if I get pulled, but my arm felt great and I could have kept going if I needed to.
“I feel I can locate my pitches where I need to and throw strikes, and I've got a good defense behind me as well.”
The seven Highland errors didn't hurt the Bear cause either, and Highland manager Harry Painter knew it. “Give them credit, that's a good team there,” Painter said, “We were pounding the ball, but it was usually right at them, and the errors didn't help either. I called it ugly baseball; it was just one of those nights.”
“We had some outstanding at-bats and they didn't fool us much; our defense let us down tonight.”
Highland's team, because of weather and Highland High's run to the IHSA Class 3A state championship, had only played 11 games heading into Tuesday's playoff opener. “We have had a tough go of it,” Painter said, “Between the rain and the high school championship, it's been tough for us. But we know what we have to do now.”
The Bears grabbed an early lead when Drake Hampton led off with a single, stole second and advanced on an error to third before Jordan Hovey singled him in; Highland countered with a run in the second when Blaine Ray scored on an error after singling, one of four hits Jackson gave up on the night, but a Caleb Buhs triple, a Connor Melton RBI single and an error that scored Melton gave the Bears a 3-1 lead through two innings.
In the fourth, Metro East extended the lead when Matt Zielonko was hit by a pitch and Nick Paulda walked before Buhs was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Melton then delivered a RBI single to score Zielonko and Hampton hit into a one-out fielder's choice to bring in Paulda. Hovey then singled in Melton for a 6-1 Bear lead, which became 8-1 in the sixth when two errors and aggressive baserunning brought in Anthony Kindle and Hovey.
The final two Bear runs came home in the eighth on an unusual play. With Kindle and Hampton on base thanks to singles, Hovey hit a pop fly that was called an infield fly, automatically rendering Hovey out. Confusion on who would take the ball between the Highland pitcher and catcher, however, allowed the ball to drop to the ground. Both runners broke for the next base and the ball was recovered, but thrown over the infielder's head and deep to the fence in right-center field, allowing both runners to score.
Melton felt that the Bears, being the top seed in the playoffs, needed to send a message in their opener. “We wanted to make a statement,” Melton said. “We've got a goal in mind not to have a three-week break before the regional (as host team, the Bears will play in the American Legion Great Lakes Regional); we want to play through to the tournament.
“We're still not clicking completely as a team; the coaches told us we have another gear in us, and I think we do.”
