Davis Collie, Sycamore win walk-off slugfest against Byron

DeKALB – Davis Collie already had three hits and three RBIs when he came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning of a freshly tied game against Byron on Wednesday.

The Sycamore first baseman and No. 2 hitter was up with Adam Eder on third representing the winning run.

But on the second pitch, Andrew Talbert uncorked a wild pitch, letting Eder score the go-ahead run with ease in the Spartans’ 11-10 win over the Tigers at DeKalb High School.

“Obviously, I wish I could have [driven in the winning run],” Davis said. “But as long as the team gets it done, that’s all that matters to me.”

The Tigers (3-3) led the Spartans 10-7 heading into the final frame. Nate Lojko started the inning with a single and reached second on an error. Devin Shaulis followed with an RBI single. Tom Bredlau walked, but the next two Spartans struck out.

“For me, it was don’t strike out. Just hit the ball,” Lojko said. “Just hit the ball in play to get it going.”

Eder, the No. 9 hitter, extended the inning when he was plunked on a 2-0 count. Tyler Lojko hit a towering pop-up into shallow right field that was dropped by the second baseman, allowing two runs to score and tie the game at 10.

Before Collie could come up with any heroics, Talbert unloaded the wild pitch that allowed Eder to score.

“I think we’re going to have to find ways to score runs this year,” Sycamore coach Jason Cavanaugh said. “It’s not going to be a sit back, wait for someone to hit one out of the park [type of season]. We don’t have the thunder in the lineup we’ve had the past few years.”

The Spartans (1-1) got a two-run double from Collie in the third for the first runs of the game. He came around to score on a flyout to center by Nate Lojko, and the Spartans led 3-0 after three.

In the top of the fourth, the Tigers finally broke through off starter Cal Harbecke. After Harbecke got the first two batters of the inning out, Byron strung together five straight hits. After that, two Sycamore errors let two more runs cross the plate, and the Tigers led 6-3.

“Here we are with two outs, they had a guy on first, and then the wheels start to come off,” Cavanaugh said. “There were maybe one or two hard hit balls in there but nothing close to leaving the ballpark or anything like that.”

The lead grew to 10-5 heading into the bottom of the sixth. Jackson MacDonald led the frame off with a double, then Trenton Meisch picked up a bunt single. MacDonald scored on a sacrifice fly by Eder Meisch, who scored on a two-out single by Collie.

All 10 of Byron’s runs crossed the plate with two outs, and the Tigers looked poised to add to that total in the seventh off reliever Carter Yoakum. He issued a pair of two-out walks to load the bases but struck out Nolan Brass to end the threat. Brass had three hits in the game.

“We couldn’t put anybody away in an inning, whether it was a simple ground ball or getting a hitter out,” Cavanaugh said. “I think a big part of that is it’s kind of early spring on dirt, and we haven’t really got a chance to practice outside very much. And then yesterday we were on turf. Fielding a ground ball on a gym floor isn’t the same as fielding a ground ball on dirt.”

A storm this month caused damage to Sycamore’s home field at the Sycamore Park District. Cavanaugh said they’ve been able to practice on the field only once. The press box is basically hanging in midair, Cavanaugh said, with some temporary supports in foul territory on the third baseline.

Cavanaugh said repairs should take a couple of weeks. The Spartans had three home games scheduled this week, also playing Tuesday and Thursday at NIU.

“It is kind of weird not having a home field,” Lojko said. “The fields we are playing on are decent. This field is good. NIU with their turf field is real good because I love turf. But I think our mindset is in the right place now.”

Cavanaugh said he was grateful to NIU and DeKalb High for providing fields for Sycamore while its is under repair.

“It’s definitely tough,” Davis said. “But hopefully it’s back soon. But we just got to use what we’ve got and try to trust the guys we have and try to get some wins.”