American Legion Baseball Heats Up

With the sweltering heat having the mercury hitting 95 degrees, it didn’t stop American Legion Post 158 from throwing heat and hitting en route to winning the 10 district championship over Waukegan in a forced split doubleheader last week. 

“We had to battle the elements on what may have been the hottest day of the year up to this point,” Legion coach Pat Wire said.  “And we know it is going to be hotter this week.”

Perhaps Wire wasn’t only talking about the weather being hot, but the other teams Barrington will face as the state’s playoffs heat up with the conclusion quickly approaching.

With the 7-4 victory in the second game and the championship, Barrington moves on to face Lena (20-3), a small town about hundred miles down state.  Post 158 (25-12) is hoping to continue advancing to the next round of the Illinois state playoffs, the second division which is held in Galesburg.   

Barrington took the 10 district championship and moved on by splitting a doubleheader in the July 17 heat against Waukegan.  Despite the offensive efforts of infielder Nick Spagnola (finished 3 of 4, a homerun short of the cycle, and six hits in the doubleheader), Post 158 failed to win the first game, which would have secured the championship due to untimely miscues that helped give Waukegan an 8-4 win. 

“Chris Rogers threw well, but our defense let him down,” Wire said of the team’s five errors in the loss.  “But we were not going to be denied the championship.”

To win the championship, and game two, Barrington was going to rely heavily on the arm of fifteen year old Wyatt Trautwein.

“He can’t drive,” Wire said of the 6’2 righty that gave up four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings with three strikeouts in the clutch performance.  “But he drove us to the championship!”

Greg Gerrard would come in after Trautwein to lock down the win by throwing the remaining 2 1/3 innings (four strikeouts) picking-up the save in Barrington’s 7-4 championship win.

But it wasn’t just the pitching as Barrington’s bats came alive in game two with some perfection at the plate.  Catcher Derek Foderaro’s knowledge of the plate helped him finish 4 for 4 with two doubles, a pair of runs knocked in and he contributed with a stolen base.  But Foderaro wasn’t the only Legion player perfect at the dish as second baseman Frank Waliczek also finished the second game 3 for 3. 

Helping to provide some of the power for Barrington’s 7-4 victory was shortstop Steve Schwarts who ended the game with a homerun in his 2-4 performance.

The championship victory was Barrington’s 25th of the summer season, and the most wins under Wire since the team played in the state finals in 2009 (had 18 wins that year) but the wins are not what are driving these ballplayers.  

“The guys wanted to prove all the naysayers from spring wrong; all of the people who thought they didn’t have any talent,” Wire said of the team’s overall success, and what has helped motivate the team.  “Clearly, they have proved them wrong.”