There’s always an unknown when someone makes the jump to playing varsity baseball for the first time. It was supposed to be that way this spring for junior pitcher Frankie Pavlik.

But in Pavlik’s case, he’s far exceeded what Yorkville coach Tom Cerven had in mind.

“Honestly, he’s done a little bit more,” Cerven said. “We moved him to first base, and he’s adapted well to that position. I don’t think we were quite expecting this much with the bat.

“I’m sure he was, but first-year varsity player, we expected him to maybe have some growing pains. Right out of the box, he’s been one of our best and most consistent hitters all year.”

Pavlik put it all together with the bat and on the mound in a critical time Monday during a wild 10-8 Southwest Prairie Conference win over Oswego in Yorkville.

Pavlik came out of the bullpen with one out in the top of the sixth and put out a fire for the Foxes (11-10-1, 4-3). He delivered what turned out to be the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the sixth and then slammed the door shut with a scoreless seventh to seal the win.

Bodhi Harrison had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice for Yorkville. Bryce Baxa added a two-run double, while Nick Parashis picked up two hits and scored twice and Kal Arntzen drove in a pair of runs and scored twice.

Isaiah Logan hit a three-run homer for Oswego (19-6, 3-4). Bryce Norwood contributed two hits, including a double, and scored twice for the Panthers.

Pavlik, meanwhile, had been hoping for more opportunities on the mound this season. Cerven brought Pavlik into the game with one out, a runner on second and a 2-2 count on Easton Ruby.

Undaunted, Pavlik walked Ruby but struck out the final two batters to get out of the jam.

“I was warming up in the bullpen and (Cerven) said, ‘All right, we’re going to try something,’ ” Pavlik said. “I said, ‘Coach, I trust you, of course.’ You have to adapt to all situations.

“I’ve never done that in my life. I was just thinking throw strikes and let the guys make plays behind me. It makes it easy to pitch with them.”

In the bottom of the inning, Pavlik came up with two on and two out and delivered an RBI single.

“He’s a kid that just grinds,” Cerven said of Pavlik. “He works his tail off. Even when things aren’t going well, he just grinds and grinds until he finds a way to get it done.”

In the seventh, Pavlik issued a leadoff walk, but he sandwiched two strikeouts around a fielder’s choice before letting out a lot of emotion at the end of the game, which was uncharacteristic.

“Normally, I’m calmer, but this year with the confidence in my guys and the training I put in, on the mound I just see red,” Pavlik said. “I’ve just been attacking way more and that’s helped a lot.

“You always want to be out there on the mound, especially in those tight situations with the pressure. I hope after that performance I can get on the mound more often.”

Oswego coach Joe Giarrante was happy his team battled back from a 6-0 first-inning deficit, but lamented falling into that hole to begin with.

“Some of the stuff we weren’t doing at the beginning of the season, now you’re facing some adversity and people are trying to do too much,” Giarrante said. “We’ll bounce back.”

Pavlik is hoping to keep the momentum of Monday’s win going for the rest of the season.

“I’ve played really well,” Pavlik said. “I’m really blessed. I’m just out here hoping to play with the team and get wins.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.