Baseball
Illinois State recruit flashes leather, knocks in a run as Brother Rice rolls past Providence
Brother Rice senior Patrick Hayes takes as much pride in producing a great play on defense as he does contributing a big hit.
He did both Saturday.
Hayes, an Illinois State recruit, flashed some serious leather at shortstop while adding two hits and an RBI during the Crusaders’ 13-3 Catholic Blue win over host Providence.
The game ended after six innings due to the 10-run rule.
Mike Bolton , a Purdue recruit, was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBIs for the Crusaders (17-6, 6-2). Danny Doligale and Oklahoma recruit Marquise Jackson each reached base three times with two walks and a hit.
Hayes set the tone in the top of the first inning with his glove, robbing Providence’s Dylan Gorski and Dakota Kotowski of hits.
“I love defense, getting ground balls and making plays,” Hayes said. “Hitting is just a bonus.”
Hayes snared a one-hop smash off the bat of Kotowski and fired from the outfield grass to first base to record the out that ended the first inning.
Winning pitcher Zach Litke (4-0) confirmed Hayes’ defense gave the Crusaders an additional boost.
“That second play in the first inning gave us a lot of energy,” said Litke, a Concordia recruit. “His defensive plays were huge.”
Hayes also was a force with the bat. His double to the left-center gap in the third scored Kendall Pettis for a 1-0 lead. Hayes also singled in the first off Providence pitcher Ethan Petric.
“I’ve been seeing the ball good lately,” Hayes said. “The first pitch I saw (Saturday) I felt good, and I knew it was going to be a good day.”
It wasn’t for the Celtics (11-8, 3-5), especially on defense. Providence committed six errors.
“Right now, we’re in a defensive funk,” Providence coach Mark Smith said. “We’ve made 14 errors in the last nine innings. We’re making them in bunches.
“We have to keep plugging away and keep working at it.”
Litke allowed two runs on three hits over five innings. The senior right-hander struck out four.
His only mistake was a two-run homer to Kotowski in the fifth.
“I tried keeping the ball down and getting ahead in the count, pitching to contact,” Litke said. “That’s what I like to do. I have confidence in the guys behind me.”
Logan Anderson added an RBI single in the sixth for Providence.
Brother Rice coach John McCarthy had no complaints about his team’s performance.
“Overall, it was a great day for our team,” he said. “Litke pounded the strike zone, and we swung the bats well.”
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