By Dan McGrath
By Dan McGrath
That five-game winning streak that got the Leo baseball season off to such a promising start seems like a distant memory.
The streak ended with a 13-5 loss at Lindblom, a Class 3-A regional champion last season. A two-game trip to Central Illinois resulted in losses to Brimfield (7-4) and Bushnell-Prairie City (6-4).
The onset of Catholic League play was a disaster: Brother Rice pushed across 17 runs in the first inning of a 21-0 wipeout in the CCL opener that was halted by the slaughter rule after 3 ½ innings at Rice on Monday, April 8. A day later, Providence Catholic almost duplicated the feat, burying the Lions 20-0 in a four-inning mercy killing at the Kroc Center.
A trip to Kerry Wood Field on the North Side offered no relief; DePaul Prep erupted for 13 runs in the first inning and pounded out an 18-3 victory on Thursday, April 11. Aiden Lott’s three-run double was the lone Leo highlight.
“As the competition gets better, our lack of pitching depth really gets exposed,” Coach Mike Anderson said.
So does a lack of consistent offense. After exploding for 79 runs during the winning streak, the Lions managed just 16 runs in their six losses, none in the first two Catholic League games, though it’s worth noting that Rice and Providence are perennially top-tier CCL teams.
It’s back to the CCL grind on Saturday, April 13 and a visit to St. Francis in Wheaton. St. Francis returns the favor with a visit to the Kroc Center on Monday, April 15, followed by a home-and-home with Marmion and a trip to Aurora Central Catholic to close out the week.
“I’m hopeful we’ll hit better when we get consistently better weather,” Anderson said.