Railer Baseball Diary Week 2: Lincoln Bats Come Alive

[April 01, 2016]  By Benjamin Yount
 
 LINCOLN – This spring we're covering Lincoln Railer baseball as a diary. Weekly updates on the team, the games, and news from dugout with varsity team.

When the Lincoln Railers hit the baseball, they can beat anyone on the schedule. When they don't, they mainly beat themselves.

The Railer's second week proved that to be the case.

Lincoln managed just a handful of hits in three losses to Sacred Heart Griffin and Bloomington High School.

The Railers twice let failed to support solid early-inning pitching, and then let games against Sacred Heart and BHS to turn into mercy-rule routs.

But the Splitter baseballers turned it around over the weekend with a win over Normal West, who had just beaten Alabama's state champion traveling team.

“I saw at bats where the things we're telling the players, they're putting into action,” Coach Pat Hake said after the 2-1 weekend victory. “It's almost like a light bulb went off.”

Hake's stable of pitchers, lead by senior Garrett Aeilts, managed to keep the second week's games pretty much within reach.

But Hake says he's still looking for his team to be able to step-up and close-out games.

“I fell like the last (week) we've taken blows like in a boxing match and we haven't swung back,” Hake said. “(This week) felt like our perfect response. We swung back.”

Lincoln added to the win column with a victory over Decatur Eisenhower on Tuesday.

This week's rain has kept the team off the field since.