The Rams are using pitching and defense to get the job done and followed that path to a 1-0 road victory over Fenwick on Monday, notching their ninth win in the last 10 games.
“I’m so proud of the way these guys approach each and every day,” said Badin coach Brion Treadway, whose squad is 11-4 overall and 10-0 in the Greater Catholic League Coed Central Division.
“They have a very businesslike approach. They get after it. They’re a tight-knit group. And they’re all about Badin baseball.”
Logan Heintzman and Toby Grollmus conquered the Falcons with a four-hitter. Heintzman went the first six innings and Grollmus followed with a 1-2-3 seventh.
“He’s growing mentally as a pitcher,” Treadway said of Heintzman, a junior right-hander who struck out three and walked four in a 91-pitch performance. “He’s stepping up and becoming a guy that we can count on.”
Cody Boxrucker’s two-out single in the top of the first inning plated Cole Heflin with the game’s lone run.
“We’re not putting up as many runs as I think we should, but we’re making up for it,” said Boxrucker, who was 2-for-3. “Our goals are still the same. We’re all on a bus to Columbus.”
“There’s a lot of energy this year for sure, a lot of positive energy,” Heintzman said. “Everybody’s coming to work and getting better every day.”
Fenwick (8-10, 5-5 GCLC North) got a combined four-hitter from Jon Snyder and Drew O’Brien, but stranded seven runners.
The play of the day came in the sixth inning when the Falcons’ Matt Davenport, with teammate Anthony Crow on first base, slapped a two-out hit to left field.
Badin’s Alex Holderbach dove for the ball and missed it, but scrambled to his feet, found his way to the ball and fired a one-bounce strike to Boxrucker to nail Crow at the plate.
“The dude’s got a good arm,” said Boxrucker, a junior catcher. “The throw was high enough that it took a good hop right to me, and I just put the tag down. My biggest worry was me catching the ball off the hop because I knew Holdy would make it there.”
Fenwick coach Pete Maus said he didn’t second-guess his decision to send Crow.
“I didn’t think twice about it,” Maus said. “The kid dove to make the play. He’s going to rush to get to the ball. He’s moving away, so he’s probably going to throw off his back foot.
“Give the kid credit for throwing it on line. If it’s two feet either way, he’s safe. If they cut it, he’s safe. I thought Crow ran well, made a good turn. They just made a play.”
Treadway couldn’t fault Holderbach for his effort, but said diving for the ball was the wrong move.
“We’ve talked to our outfielders about when’s the right time to dive for a ball, and that was definitely not the right time,” Treadway said. “In that situation, we just want to see him keep the ball in front and get the next batter out. I’m just glad he got up and threw a strike home. You could tell he was kind of on a mission to make up for his mistake.”
Heintzman worked out of several jams that he created for himself with walks, and the Rams committed no errors. Third baseman Garrett Hogan was among the defensive standouts.
“The defense came through for me,” Heintzman said. “When I pitched mistakes, they cleaned it up and played some good baseball.
“I was locating a lot better today than I have been. My offspeed wasn’t all there because the wind was shifting. I just hit spots, and my defense made some plays.”
He had no problem with Treadway calling for Grollmus, a senior southpaw, to pitch the seventh.
“I think I was gassed at that point,” Heintzman admitted. “I haven’t maxed out my pitch counts yet because I got in late after basketball. I think (Treadway) sensed I was ready to be done.”
“It was strictly just pitch count,” Treadway said. “We want to keep him fresh for the end of the year. We were happy with the effort he gave us, and Toby’s a guy that we’ve trusted for two years now to come in and close the door.”
Grollmus made quick work of the Falcons in the seventh with two strikeouts and a ground out, maintaining his 2015 earned run average of 0.00.
“He’s enlisted in the Marines, and he’s got that bulldog mind-set,” Treadway said. “He’s just a guy that I fully trust.”
Badin’s biggest concern continues to be hitting. Its team batting average is .271.
“I like our guys, and I like the potential we have,” Treadway said. “We haven’t found the right combination yet. We’ve got to get more out of the bottom of our order.”
Fenwick’s offense hasn’t exactly been explosive either. The top five Falcons in the batting order were 1-for-12 against the Rams.
“That’s kind of been the story of our season,” Maus said. “When we’ve gotten guys in scoring position and manufactured some situations, we just haven’t come through with key hits. We’ve made some progressions offensively with better at-bats and making good contact. Now the next step is being able to drive them in. If the floodgates ever open up, I’d like to see what happens.”
Snyder, a sophomore righty, was very good in his five-inning stint. He allowed four hits, struck out one and walked nobody.
Fenwick has lost seven of 10 since opening the year with a 5-3 record.
“We’ve got some seniors, but it’s still a young group,” Maus said. “We only have three guys back from last year’s team, and those three were kind of split-time guys, so we’re kind of growing into being a varsity team. We’re handling the situation better. We’re just not quite to the point where we’re capitalizing on things.”
Badin is on the road Tuesday to face Edgewood, then will try to take a big step toward its 24th straight GCL title Wednesday at McNicholas.
The Falcons are set to host Carroll on Wednesday and will face the Patriots again Thursday for the completion of a suspended game (it’s 0-0 in the third inning) in Riverside.
Badin 100-000-0—1-4-0
Fenwick 000-000-0—0-4-1
WP — Logan Heintzman (2-1); LP — Jon Snyder (3-2); SV — Toby Grollmus (2). Records: B 11-4, 10-0 GCLC Central; F 8-10, 5-5 GCLC North.
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