The lopsided margin of defeat removed the season-ending shock for Elgin Community College first baseman Tyler Lowe.
It still failed to soften the sting.
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Despite another strong hitting performance by Lowe, ECC will attempt to rebuild with a younger lineup after coming up one victory short of reaching the NJCAA Division III World Series.
“We went from an 11-16 team to a hell of a good run,” Lowe said. “It’s been a fun two years for me with this bunch.”
Lowe, a sophomore, went 7-for-14 with a home run, a double and six RBIs in three district playoff games against Delta College.
In the decisive third game of the three-game series Monday, the host Spartans (30-23) lost 14-3 to the Michigan-based team to end the season.
“The guys fought all the way to the end, even when things weren’t working out,” ECC coach Bill Angelo said. “The last two games we just didn’t hit like we had in the rest of postseason. We didn’t get big hits when we needed to.”
They did produce in the first game of the series, especially Lowe.
In the bottom of the 11th Sunday, he homered with two on to give ECC a 6-3 win and a 1-0 lead in the series. One more win and the Spartans would have made nationals.
“It was my biggest thrill here,” Lowe said of the homer.
Lowe finished hitting .406 with a .512 slugging percentage and team highs of 10 home runs and 51 RBIs.
The home run wasn’t ECC’s only highlight, however.
Pitcher AJ Ackerley went nine innings and allowed one earned run as he continued a late-season surge. Ackerley allowed one earned run for his 23 postseason innings, and was 3-0 in his final three decisions.
“My pitching coach, Justin Kalusa, went over some tapes to see what I was doing wrong,” Ackerley said. “He changed some things up and I started to develop into the pitcher I was at the end.
“I felt I was pounding the strike zone and working it in and out on batters, using my off-speed.”
ECC went on to lose the second game of the series 9-5 Sunday before the elimination finale.
Lowe has signed a national letter of intent to continue his playing career with Division I Chicago State, while shortstop Tanner Smith from Burlington Central will go on to play in Division II at Francis Marion.
“We’ll have about eight in all who play at some high level,” Angelo said. “Really, I can’t talk enough about the character of the team and our sophomores, the way they carry themselves on the field and academically.
“Just quality guys.”
Twitter @genechamberlai2
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