Playing with only a team of 8, the BSS Bruins baseball team ended its season on a chilly October night with a 17-11 loss to Little Flower. But this one was for fun. The Bruins’ own mighty Casey threw two more innings of ball to cap off his BSS senior year pitching career. Senior Greg Larson closed out the game for BSS. Senior Jacob Wear, playing shortstop, ended his BSS season with a sensational diving catch of a ball hit hard to his left.
End of season defensive highlights saw Jack Duncan catching a tough game behind the plate; Brooks Fortune making a nifty toss to Larson for a 4-6 put out to end the 2nd inning; and Larson returning the favor with a nice 6-4 put-out in the 3rd . The Bruins fans were also treated in the 3rd inning to another great foul pop catch by first baseman John VonBehren and a nice running catch by Tom Newell behind 3rd base. Fortune rounded out the highlights in the 4th with an unassisted put-out at 2nd base.
End of season offense highlights saw the Bruins get several extra-base hits for the first time this season. Larsen had a big double in the 3rd to drive in the first BSS runs of the game; Fortune had a lead-off double to start the 4th; and with the Bruins down 12-2, Duncan had a very big 3-run bases loaded double in the 4th to start the BSS comeback. VonBehren lead off the 5th with a big triple and Wear put a double on the board that same inning. The game also so hard hit singles by Sheehan in the 3rd, Anton Katalinich in the 4th and Larson, Sheehan and Fortune in the 5th. Wear also singled in the 5th but was cut down at 2nd (although some say not) trying to stretch his hit for a 2-bagger.
For you die-hard fans, here are some year-end notable team stats and comments: Best contact hitter (i.e. least strike-outs) goes to David Wasser, who struck out only 4 times in his 53 at bats, otherwise drawing a walk or putting a bat on the ball. Most walks drawn goes to lead-off batter Tom Newell with 16. Most singles goes to Casey Sheehan with 16, with Jacob Wear and Greg Larseo tied at 15. Newell, Wear, Larson, Joey Huddleston and Jack Duncan each had 2 doubles, but Brooks Fortune topped the team with 3 doubles. Larson, Huddleston and John VonBehren shared the triples lead with one apiece. Wear also led the team in reaching base on an error (6 times), on being hit by pitches (4 times) and in on-base percentage (.600). Other great on-base percentages were those of Newell (.508), Huddleston (.553) and Sheehan (.571).
P.S. No Bruin hit a homer.
The “always working hard” award goes to Trey Dhabalt who also had a great .466 on-base-percentage. Most improved player awards go to Brooks Fortune and Anton Katalnich whose stick-with-it attitudes saw them improve over the season both offensively and defensively.
Great moments to remember: The Larson-Wasser-VonBehren 1-2-3 double play in the opener against CTK; Wears two superb “Ozzie Smith” fielding plays and Wasser’s pick-off of a sleeping runner at 2nd against Raymond-Lincolnwood; Newell’s 5-for-5 on-base game against Mt. Pulaski; Wasser and Duncan’s 1-2 run down of the Mt. Pulaski runner; Huddleston’s four put outs, including an unassisted double-play against Mt. Pulaski; Wasser’s throw from his knees to 2nd baseman Dhabalt to nail an advancing CTK runner; Larsen and Wear’s combined 12-strikeout pitching performance against the New Berlin Pretzels; Wear’s bat-throwing performance against the Pretzels; Larson’s “Ozzie Smith” fielding play deep behind second against Bank of Springfield; Sheehan’s three fly-ball shags, Wasser’s pick off at 2nd and Huddleston-Wear-VonBehren’s 4-6-3 double play and Newell-Dhabalt-VonBehren’s 1-2-3 bases loaded double play against St. Al’s; the Bruin’s sneaky but unsuccessful hidden ball trick against St. Al’s; Newell and Duncan’s snag of line drives and Wear’s hitting and pitching against CES; Larson’s long cross-diamond throw to VonBehren and Wear’s two pick offs against Mt. Pulaski in regional game 2; Newell’s 15 strikeout performance against Little Flower; Larson’s bare-handed snag and put-out against Little Flower; catcher Dhabalt’s long throw put-out from the backstop to 1st baseman VonBehren who dug the ball out of the dirt against Little Flower; VonBehren’s miraculous recovery on a pop over his head behind 1st and perfect throw to catcher Dhabalt to nail the LF runner barreling down from 3rd; Larsen’s pitching in the Bruins 3rd game against CTK; Fortune and Katalinich’s snags of 3 hard hit CTK fly balls; Wear’s knock down of a hard hit CTK grounder and flip from his knees to Huddleston at 2nd to take out the CTK runner; VonBehren’s 3 tough pop-up catches against CTK; the Katalinich (RF) to VonBehren (1B) to Newell (C) to Wasser (3B) to Newell to Wear put out of a stumbling CTK runner trying to get home from 3rd; Sheehan’s mighty pitching performance against BOS; Fortune’s bases clearing double against BOS; Larson (SS) and Duncan (3B)’s nice defensive plays against BOS assisted by a stretching VonBehren (1B); And lastly, the team’s regional win over NHM, including Wear’s lay-out diving catch, Larson’s big scoop save, VonBehren’s great game ending catch and Wasser’s gut-it-out pitching performance.
Thanks to all who supported the BSS Baseball Team. See you next year !!