Baseball: Kyle Hayes unleashes his 'Beast,' hits walk-off homer for St. Charles East

ST. CHARLES – Kyle Hayes has a fitting nickname from St. Charles East assistant coach Mark Foulkes.

"The Beast."

Naturally, the sophomore picked the best time during the Saints' 8-7 victory over Geneva on Saturday to demonstrate why.

Hayes jacked his first-ever walk-off home run – over the center field batter's eye – on a hanging curveball with two strikes.

His blast capped St. Charles East's comeback from five runs down in the fifth inning.

"I feel like it's the most incredible [feeling] of my life," Hayes said.

Earlier in the at-bat, Hayes whiffed with a monster of a swing – his monster hack, so-to-speak. Shortening up his swing with two strikes is an approach Hayes has worked on with the coaching staff on.

That slight adjustment made all the difference Saturday.

"That was a nice-and-easy [swing], I guess," Hayes said with a laugh. "Just trying to hit one hard."

Geneva starter Blake Breon was lifted following a two-out walk in the fifth after surrendering just two hits and two runs.

The Saints capitalized.

While Hayes' heroics carried St. Charles East's hard-fought comeback over the finish line, the contributions of Clay and Cole Conn helped make it possible.

Tommy Schroeder singled and Hayes walked to load the bases in the fifth. With Cole Conn at the plate and the bases loaded – his brother Clay at third – Geneva catcher Joey Maynard threw down the line in a pick-off attempt. The ball bounced off third baseman Nick Black's glove to allow Clay Conn to rumble home.

Cole Conn socked a two-run double moments later, closing the Saints within 7-5.

The next inning, Gino Cerrone had an RBI groundout to close East's gap to one run. Clay Conn walked to put runners at first and third.

In a rapid moment, Conn had a window of opportunity, as he suddenly took off for second. Luke Matheny then stole home following the throw across the diamond to tie the game in dramatic fashion.

"We're trying to compete to win and it didn't happen for us today," Geneva coach Brad Wendell said. "It's baseball, but it's [about] how you respond now...and then getting after them [the Saints] on Monday, Tuesday. You turn the page."

Geneva struck first on Black's two-run homer in the first inning. Robert Carne's RBI groundout got St. Charles East on the board in the second, but Breon hit an RBI double and Brendan Krohe followed with an RBI single in the third to give Geneva a 4-1 lead.

Michael Klazura hit an RBI single in the fifth and Saints relief pitcher Zach Clodi walked in a pair of runs to give the Vikings (9-7-1, 3-4) the short-lived five-run lead.

The Saints, (11-3-1, 6-1) however, stayed the course.

"Coach [Len] Asquini kept telling us 'We've got to get our energy up'," Hayes said. "I feel like we did that throughout the game. That really helped us pull of the comeback.