GENEVA–Geneva’s Hewitt Wilt tossed a complete game shutout to lead the Eagles to a win over visiting Madison on Wednesday, 6-0, in a battle for first place in the Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division.
Wilt finished his seven-inning gem by striking out the side in the final frame, running his total for the game to 11 with only one hit allowed.
“Every time Hewitt’s on the mound, we expect to get what we got (from him) tonight,” said Geneva head coach Terry Hejduk. “The kid’s an animal; he’s a stud. There’s not a kid who works harder on pitching than Hewitt Wilt, so we expect that from him.”
After Wilt shut down Madison in order in the top of the first, including a pair of strikeouts, the Geneva offense plated a run in the bottom of the inning to take an early lead.
Wilt led off the frame with a bunt single and later scored on Curtis Maier’s sacrifice fly.
The Eagles added a pair of runs in the bottom of the second, thanks once again to Wilt’s leadoff single. Shea Arkenburg then drew a walk and Wilt scored on an error to make it 2-0, and Arkenburg scored on a wild pitch.
Andrew Oros started a two-run fifth-inning rally with a single and Maier moved him to third with his one-out single. Logan Queen grounded out to make it 4-0 and Kean Arkenburg drove home Maier with an RBI single.
Madison’s Nolan Thomas broke up Wilt’s no-hit bid in the top of the sixth inning with a two-out single.
“You can’t just lose focus (after losing a no-hitter),” Wilt said. “You still have to win the game; it’s not all about the pitching.”
The Eagles added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth.
Noah Hicks hit a one-out double and moved to third on Wilt’s sacrifice bunt, then scored on a wild pitch to close out the scoring.
Wilt polished off his gem by striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh to seal Geneva’s signature win over rival Madison in shutout fashion.
“I was able to spot my curveball well today. Curtis (Maier) called a really good game today,” Wilt said. “I was able to stay efficient, but Curtis and I were on the same page. I threw whatever he put down.”
Geneva’s offense stayed consistent all game, rather than relying on one big inning. With a pair of crooked numbers, it scored in four of six innings in the win.
“Big innings to me is when you put a lot of pressure on the opposing pitcher, even though it doesn’t always equate to runs,” Hejduk said of his teams’ offensive output. “In that first inning, we only got one run out of it, but we did exactly what we talked about. We hit the fastball early and made (Ben Amos) make some super stressful pitches. Run-wise, it didn’t show much, but working the pitcher and the count equates to big innings.”
Wilt gained confidence on the mound each time his team plated a run.
“That’s a big thing; it’s a lot different pitching 0-0 or down one run,” Wilt said. “When you have a couple runs for cushion, it’s a game changer. You get a little bit more breaths to take.”
With the win, Geneva improved to 6-3 on the year with all three losses decided in the final inning.
“We’ve lost all three games in walk-off fashion; we’re four outs away from being undefeated,” Hejduk said. “We’ve been putting it on the guys. On Saturday night, we had a little team bonding, and the guy’s attitude was awesome. We came out here and had an unbelievable practice on Monday. I don’t think we were focused going into the year, but the guys are extremely focused right now. It makes coaching easy when you’ve got talented guys who are extremely focused.”
Wilt and Kean Arkenburg went 2-for-3 in the batter’s box to lead the Geneva offense. Wilt scored two runs, and Arkenburg drove in a run for the Eagles.
Oros, Maier, and Hicks each picked up hits for Geneva as well, while Maier and Queen each collected an RBI in the win.
Madison’s lone hit came from Thoms, who also worked 3 2/3 innings of relief with three runs allowed on four hits with six strikeouts. Amos took the loss on the hill after allowing two runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts.
Geneva travels to Madison on Thursday to complete the season series.
“Tomorrow, we’re expecting great things from Shea Arkenburg (on the mound),” Hejduk said. “I’m expecting the same great energy and hoping for the same result.”
