On a three-game losing streak and without a win since April 11th, the Lake Forest Scouts varsity baseball team had another chance to get back on the right track against the Stevenson Patriots and the Libertyville Wildcats this weekend, two teams that had previously dominated the Scouts this season. Instead of the same familiar result happening, Lake Forest came in with a different type of mentality in all three games this weekend. Their bats finally woke up and they never backed down no matter how many runs they were down.

On Friday against the Patriots, the Scouts didn’t necessarily explode on offense, but their defense was just good enough to keep the game close throughout the contest. Michael Vallone notched the first RBI of the game in the bottom of the second on a double to center, then Lake Forest extended their lead an inning later on a single from Peter Turelli. With a 3-1 lead entering the top of the seventh, all the Scouts had to do was prevent two or more runs from coming across the plate. However, with two men on second and third, the Scouts found themselves in some trouble. Stevenson’s Isaiah Hart ripped a two-RBI single to left knotting the game up at three. Even though the Patriots had momentum, Lake Forest had a thunderous answer. After Drew Golde reached on an error, Colton Pfeifer doubled, allowing Golde to get all the way to third. Then, a game that had been exciting from the very beginning ended with a bizarre twist. The umpire signaled an obstruction call allowing Golde to come home as the winning run. The Scouts enjoyed their first win in over a week, but had to make a quick turnaround as a doubleheader at Libertyville highlighted the next day.

In the thirteen games the Scouts had played this season, none got off to a worse start than Saturday morning’s contest. In the bottom of the first alone, Lake Forest allowed 13 runs. The amount of runs allowed is self explanatory. There were two errors, five walks, and the Wildcats’ leadoff hitter got to the plate three times. Again, all of this happened over the duration of one inning. Most teams in high school baseball would never be able to come back from that many runs. Instead of moping and throwing in the towel, the Scouts made an incredible comeback. In the top of the second, Lake Forest immediately got the bases loaded. After two runners crossed the plate, Drew Golde cleared the bases on a three-run double. Lake Forest would later tack on two more runs, eventually cutting the Wildcats lead to six. The Scouts had their second burst of offense in the 3rd. Ryan Lee opened the scoring with a double to center, then with men on second and third, Matt Hill had a two-RBI single to right. Just two at-bats later in a similar situation, junior Will Davis ripped a line drive double scoring two more runs. At that point the Scouts were down three, 15-12. Lake Forest was eyeing one more big inning in the bottom of the fifth. With two men on, Andrew Gough hit the team’s fifth double of the game scoring Drew Golde from second. Matt Hill picked up the games final run on a sacrifice fly to center field, cutting the Libertyville lead to one. After that inning, the Scouts went mute. Wildcat pitcher Peyton Jennings was lights out as the Wildcats avoided blowing a 13-run lead in the first game. Although game one seemed like a marathon, both teams had to turn around and play the series finale hours after the 29-run affair.

Game two had a lot more defense, but again, the same story occurred in the first inning. Libertyville scored all six of their runs right out of the gates. Lake Forest’s starting pitching, Jackson Thomas, once again was hit hard. However, the Scouts didn’t go down without a fight. In the top of the second with two runners on and two men out, Ryan Lee drove a double to left field scoring two runners. Following his at-bat, Will Davis picked up his first RBI of the game on a single. Davis would later pick up another RBI in the 4th, but that was all the offense that was left in Lake Forest’s tank. Derek Calamari dominated and put his team on his back and led the Wildcats to a 6-4 victory.

For the first time in what feels like a long time, the offense was not a major concern. In fact, the Scouts scored more runs this weekend than they have the rest of the season. The team is now batting nearly .200 which is a massive improvement from .150. This time, the big concern was the pitching and the defense. In both games combined on Saturday, Lake Forest committed eight errors, six of which happened in the first game. If they didn’t have as many mistakes as they did, they surely would’ve been able to complete a 13-run comeback. Pitching was also a concern. Allowing so many runs early made coach Ray Del Fava have to utilize his bullpen in both double header games for more than six innings in each contest. Not only does this limit their availability down the stretch, but it puts some of these pitchers in unfamiliar territory. Summing the weekend up, all three games didn’t go poorly, but the Scouts came in on the losing side at 1-2. Friday’s game was a great team win, and the Scouts offense showcased some potential Saturday afternoon. Although there is still work to do, the Lake Forest Varsity baseball team is showing promising signs of improvement.