Work in the batting cages and long talks with his coaches. That’s how senior first baseman Cade Duffin approached the rocky road that was his start to the season for Oswego.
More Top Picks Best Non Gel Cooling Pillows For Side Sleepers
The goals weren’t for personal glory or gaudy statistics, though.
“I just want to help the team as much as I can,” said the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Duffin, an Illinois Springfield recruit. “Being a leader for everyone is what I want to do.
“I did as much as I could do to help the team and then did some side work with my trainer.”
Duffin started to get hot, however, and eventually took over the cleanup spot, where he batted Tuesday for the Panthers during a 9-5 Southwest Prairie West win at West Aurora.
In the first inning, Duffin got the scoring going for Oswego (16-7, 6-1), singling in Trey Hernandez. The Panthers never trailed from there, either.
Duffin and Ben Hernandez finished with two hits apiece for Oswego. Chase Gerwig and Ben Hernandez each scored two runs.
Ryan Niedzwiedz went 2-for-4 with a double and scored a run for West Aurora (8-11, 1-6).
Oswego coach Joe Giarrante was happy to see Duffin’s hard work starting to pay off.
“He started off a little slow, not going to lie,” Giarrante said. “We had a lot of conversations, and he’s worked super hard to get to the point where he is now.
“I think we started hitting him seventh and he worked his way up to four because he’s done such a great job, just driving baseballs up the middle, staying back and not trying to do too much.”
Duffin made an early impact Tuesday. After two quick outs, Trey Hernandez drew a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Duffin promptly lofted an RBI single to center for a 1-0 lead.
“Trey’s been hot all year,” Duffin said. “We can count on him any time during the game. I saw a slider low and away. I poked it up the middle and we scored.”
A four-run second inning, fueled by a two-run single from Tyler Stack, pushed the lead to 5-0. Going into the fourth, it was 5-0 and West Aurora hadn’t recorded a hit.
The Blackhawks did show resolve, though, and put some pressure on Oswego.
West Aurora scored five runs in the next three innings, cutting the deficit to 7-5. The Blackhawks left the bases loaded in the fourth and left two on in the sixth, however.
More Top Picks Best Led Face Masks
“A hit here or there and it’s a different ballgame,” West Aurora coach John Reeves said. “Walks always seem to haunt you, no matter the level. We spotted them runs with some walks.”
Giarrante, meanwhile, is happy to see Duffin back to his productive ways.
Giarrante said Duffin can be hard on himself in tough times because he wants to help the team so badly, so they’re both enjoying the good times right now.
“Cade came up in the first inning and did his job, and that started the whole momentum for us offensively,” Giarrante said. “He’s the heart of our order, and guys rally around him.
“He’s one of those team leaders that get everyone going. When he produces, it’s a lot of fun. The guys really pick up the tempo for him.”
Tuesday’s win continued a hot stretch to start the conference season for Oswego.
After a three-game sweep of Plainfield North, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last spring, the Panthers are trying to keep things going.
“It has been a good run,” Giarrante said. “It’s a testament to these guys and how hard they’ve worked. We’re going to start seeing everybody’s best. We have to expect it.
“It’s fun to be a part of these ballgames.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.