Nothing foul about Bruns’ game-winning single as Chargers earn statement victory over Tigers

CARTHAGE, Ill. — Nick Bruns did not think his first career walk-off hit was meant to be.

“I thought it was foul off the bat,” Bruns said.

Stephen Sparks initially believed the same thing.

“I thought it was definitely foul,” Sparks said.

Thankfully for Bruns, Sparks and the Illini West baseball team, those inclinations were wrong.

With Sparks at second, two outs and the Chargers tied at 1 with Sherrard in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday, Bruns went with an outside pitch from the Tigers’ Brady Peterson and hit a sharp ground ball down the first base line.

“I saw it skipping out of the box a couple feet fair,” said Chargers coach Zack Burling, who watched from the third-base coach’s box as the ball bounded up the opposite foul line. “By the time it got to first, it was starting to tail.”

As it did so, it bounced directly over the bag and past diving first baseman Cooper Thomas. Sparks hustled around third and scored standing up, giving the Chargers a 2-1 victory at Jake Burling Field, their fourth consecutive victory to begin the season.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Bruns said. “It’s awesome.”

Sparks made up his mind long before Bruns made contact that he was going to score at all costs.

“I was just going,” Sparks said. “My plan was if the ball was hit in play, I was going to score no matter where it was.”

As soon as they could, every player in the Chargers dugout sprinted toward Bruns at first base to congratulate him.

“I’m pretty sure there were already a couple people running out to Nick before Sparky was even halfway down the line,” Chargers senior Tre Neiderman said. “It was exciting to see that ball roll into the outfield and Sparky just hauling it.”

Sparks got nicked up during the celebration.

“I got my feet stepped on a couple times,” Sparks said.

It was worth it for a win that junior and reigning all-stater Wesley Robertson ranked near the top of the list of victories he has experienced in a Chargers uniform. Sherrard went 22-4 in 2024 and spent much of the season ranked in the top 10 in Class 2A.

“This is at least top five, if not top two, maybe even the best,” Robertson said. “Coach Burling said in our huddle that’s probably the hardest win he’s had in his coaching career. This gives us more confidence knowing that we can beat any team that we play.”

The Tigers also started their ace — University of Illinois-Chicago commit Aidan Terronez — against the Chargers. The lefty topped out at 89 miles per hour, allowed one hit and struck out seven without giving up a run in five innings.

“I wouldn’t have cared if we won or lost. I’m just happy we’re seeing this type of pitching early in the season,” Burling said. “It’s going to prepare us for the postseason. I played college baseball for four years. You don’t see many guys like that even in college.”

Once Terronez exited the game, Sparks and the Chargers breathed a sigh of relief.

“We were struggling a little bit,” Sparks said. “We were putting the ball in play, but we weren’t catching many barrels. Once he came out, we knew it was go time.”

After the Tigers took a 1-0 lead on a Harrison Curry two-out double in the top of the fifth, Sparks and Robertson helped the Chargers pull even in the sixth. Robertson singled to center with one out, then Shawn Watkins Jr. flew out, bringing Sparks to the plate with Robertson still at first and two outs.

Robertson did not stay put at first for long. He stole second on an 0-1 pitch to Sparks. Two pitches later, Sparks hit a one-hopper to Tigers shortstop Ryder Veronda. The ball skipped under Veronda’s glove and into left-center field, and Robertson scored to tie the game.

“To be honest, I was a little nervous up there,” Sparks said of how he was feeling during that at-bat. “Then once (Robertson) got to second, I knew I was going to put it in play, and I was just hoping somebody would make a mistake. I was struggling to get the ball up in the air, but once I put it on the ground and he missed it, I knew we were good.”

Robertson had a chance to end the game in walk-off style the next inning, but he flew out to deep center field with runners on second and third to end the frame.

“I barreled it well, but I hit it to the deepest part of the field,” Robertson said. “I can’t really be mad about how I hit it, but I was just thinking when I got in the dugout I should have just hit a line drive or ground ball up the middle or something.”

Things worked out just fine for the Chargers, though. Neiderman retired the Tigers in order in the top of the eighth, setting the stage for Sparks’ game-winning hit.

Neiderman was pressed into action unexpectedly. Burling lifted Robertson after four scoreless innings and 66 pitches in favor of Ethan Carlisle, but Carlisle only faced three batters, walking two of them.

After Carlisle threw ball one to Terronez, the soreness in his right hand from getting jammed in his previous at-bat became too much to handle. Neiderman swapped positions with Carlisle, moving from third base to the mound and throwing all of his warmup pitches then and there.

“I just kind of got thrown right in there,” Neiderman said. 

Making his first pitching appearance in nearly two years, Neiderman induced a pop out from Terronez and then allowed Curry’s run-scoring double, but he retired five of the next seven batters before giving up a one-out single to Terronez and a double to Curry with one out in the seventh. Neiderman wriggled his way out of danger by striking out Thomas and getting Eli Matson to fly out to center field to end the inning.

“My plan was just to paint fastballs, try to get them to put it in play, let my defense work behind me, and that’s what happened,” Neiderman said.

Neiderman worked 3 ⅔ innings without walking a batter and earned his first career win.

“I’m very happy for him,” Burling said. “He came in in a tough spot. He battled like crazy out there. That’s a really good lineup we just beat.”

Illini West (4-0) will have Wednesday off before playing on three consecutive days, the final of which will feature the Chargers’ second game at Busch Stadium in as many seasons. The Chargers will clash with Edwardsville in St. Louis at 5 p.m Saturday.

“It’s going to be amazing,” Bruns said of playing at the home of the St. Louis Cardinals for the second time. “It’s going to be amazing competition, too. Edwardsville is really good.”