Early on, Yorkville’s Bryce Baxa found things more difficult in his sophomore season than he did last year as a freshman.
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As he worked his way through his struggles, something clicked in the designated hitter’s mind.
“I was like, the season has already not been very good for me,” Baxa said. “I’m just going to do my part and forget about everything else that happened at the beginning of the season.
“It was just going up and being natural.”
Over the past couple weeks, the old Baxa has started showing up for the Foxes.
It couldn’t have come at a better time, either. Baxa produced the go-ahead single and winning RBI sacrifice fly Thursday to give Yorkville a wild 9-8 win over the host Wolves in a Class 4A Oswego East Regional semifinal game.
Gavin Geegan added two hits, including a two-run homer, as the Foxes (23-11) advanced to face Downers Grove North (22-12) at 11 a.m. Saturday for the regional title.
Kal Arntzen also doubled and scored twice for Yorkville. Illinois-Chicago recruit Dominic Battista smashed a two-run homer among two hits for Oswego East (16-18), while Noah Deist had two hits and two RBIs and Niko Villacci chipped in with two hits and two runs.
Geegan’s dramatic two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth staked Yorkville to an 8-6 lead. With two outs in the top of the seventh, however, Deist, who surrendered the homer on the mound, delivered a clutch two-run single to force an 8-8 tie.
Arntzen then led off the bottom of the seventh with a double that nearly left the park. After a sacrifice bunt, two intentional walks set the stage for Baxa, who waited back and lofted a fly ball to right. Pinch-runner Robbie Mueller raced home to score the winner.
“Just trying to keep it up the middle and away,” Baxa said. “I knew they were going to throw me off-speed because they were trying to get that weak ground ball. I was ready for it.
“I knew I was going to get it done.”
Yorkville coach Tom Cerven was happy to see Baxa come through, especially considering all he endured during the season.
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“Especially being a sophomore, having the success he had as a freshman to then have some difficulties this year, it was really hard on him,” Cerven said. “The work that he’s put in and the confidence he has in that situation to get the job done is just great.”
Oswego East, however, had the Foxes on the ropes early.
Battista’s two-run homer in the second inning opened a 3-0 lead that swelled to 5-1 in the third, when the Wolves chased Yorkville ace Gabe Sanders.
After Yorkville took a 6-5 lead, Oswego East still rallied to tie it twice before Baxa finally ended it.
“I think we’ve had the past couple years maybe six or seven walk-offs between the two teams,” Oswego East coach Brian Schaeffer said. “Our teams are so similar. The guys all know each other. They’re all friends. It seems like it’s always a close one.”
It wasn’t always easy for Baxa this season, but he soaked it in after his big moment Thursday.
“The biggest reason I struggled in the first place was just that pressure,” Baxa said. “I had a good season last year. I overcame that by doing bad. I had to learn how to fail.”
Baxa took those lessons and applied them at the right time.
“For him to be able to come through like he did, despite his struggles and still be a team guy even when he wasn’t always in the lineup, it’s great to see him have that success and put us over the top,” Cerven said.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.