‘We just kept it rolling’: Saukees stick to basics in separating from Mustangs

MENDON, Ill. — The Pittsfield baseball team’s hitting approach was simple.

“You can’t really do anything too special,” Saukees junior pitcher and infielder Bobby Harris said. “Smooth swings, don’t swing too hard.”

Harris and the Saukees’ lineup used that approach to string together a six-run third inning and take control in a 12-5 victory over Mendon Unity on Monday at Unity High School.

Harris, the Saukees’ ninth hitter, drove in a run with a single in that inning, the final of three straight two-strike RBI hits by the bottom of the Saukees’ order and Harris’ third hit in as many at-bats.

“With two strikes, I just shortened up, tried to be quick to the ball, didn’t try to do anything too special,” Harris said. “It was just a little blooper to right field, and it ended up being a base hit. That’s all I was thinking — just go through the baseball.”

Two batters before Harris, Kaden Ferguson singled up the middle to turn a 3-2 Saukees deficit into a 4-3 lead. 

“When I get two strikes on me, I choke up, just try to put the ball in play,” Ferguson said. “That’s my biggest thing. Anything around the plate, I just try to put it in play. Yes, I want to try to get a good hit off of it, but the biggest thing is just putting the ball in play, getting guys to advance around the bases. That’s all you have to do.”

Carter Frazier followed Ferguson with a two-RBI single just to the right of second base to extend that lead to 6-3.

“Those hits are massive,” Frazier said. “We practice that two-strike approach. You just have to do what you can to put the ball in play and get somebody in.”

The Saukees added another run in the inning on a Tim Hull sacrifice fly after the first eight Pittsfield hitters reached base.

“That’s one thing that’s not surprising about Pittsfield. They always can hit,” Unity coach Tyler McAllister said. “In the seven years I’ve been here, they’ve always swung it really well. We were in it for a while. Credit to them. They put a good inning together, barreled seven or eight baseballs and before long we were down by five.”

The Saukees tacked on another tally in the fourth and three more in the fifth. They cranked out 12 hits, and 11 of those 12 hits were singles. 

“We’re not going to be big home run hitters,” Pittsfield coach Zach Ferguson said. “That’s just not who we are. We always talk about hitting line drives, especially trying to take it the opposite way because that’s where their power alleys are. It worked out today. The pop flies weren’t going to work. Things in the air were not going to fly today. They did a good job of hitting hard ground balls and line drives.”

Ferguson, Frazier and Harris combined to go 7 for 14 with five RBIs and six runs.

“We just kept it rolling,” Kaden Ferguson said. “That’s all you have to do. Once the bottom of the lineup gets going, the top of the lineup is there, you’ve got baserunners, and you’re ready to score some runs.”

Avery Frese went 4 for 5 out of the leadoff spot for Unity, but the rest of the lineup went 3 for 26. 

Both teams are back in action on Tuesday. Pittsfield (8-1) will hit the road for a clash with Hardin Calhoun, while Unity (4-3) will host Canton (Mo.).