By Mike Moore
Sports Correspondent
Quieted for much of April, the Catholic Central bats regained their pop to start May.
After totaling four runs over their previous three games, the Hilltoppers thundered to an 11-run first inning on May 5 against Milwaukee Hamilton. That led to a 14-0 victory in a nonconference baseball game at Beaumont Field.
Catholic Central kept things rolling Tuesday night with a 7-6 victory at Racine St. Cat’s, a conference foe that defeated Burlington earlier this season.
The Toppers broke a 6-6 tie in the top of the seventh with the game-winning run.
Ben Heiligenthal, Aaron Sobbe and Austin Hayes all had two hits for the Toppers.
“We hit the ball, finally,” Catholic Central coach Tom O’Connell said of Monday’s win.
All of those runs came with two outs. The Hilltoppers (3-6) rode that clutch hitting to their first win in more than three weeks.
“We talk a lot about hitting with two outs,” O’Connell said. “It was real nice to see the kids own that this time.”
The good vibes extended to the mound, where Hilltoppers starter Cal Sanfelippo struck out six Hamilton batters and allowed just two hits. O’Connell said one of the balls that resulted in hits could’ve been caught.
It was another part of the stat line that had the coach most encouraged. After struggling with control in recent outings, Sanfelippo gave up just one walk.
“He didn’t get emotional, and he just kept with it,” said O’Connell, who has worked with his pitcher to make the adjustments.
Catholic Central pounded out 12 hits over four innings off Hamilton pitchers Rafael Jimenez and Charles Dear. By rule, the game was called after the top of the fifth.
Tegan Miles got three of those hits, driving in two runs. Alec Wegge and Jacob Webley had two hits apiece, while Webley and Ben Heiligenthal each added 2 RBIs.
Just taking the field was a plus after rain washed out the team’s two conference games the previous week. Those games, both against Martin Luther, will be rescheduled.
The win over the Wildcats opened a stretch of 10 games over two weeks for the Hilltoppers. The majority of those come in Metro Classic Conference play.
With Kross Krueger still sidelined, O’Connell said the schedule would provide a challenge to his pitching staff. The 2013 second-team all-conference pitcher has dealt with shoulder inflammation.
But, thanks to an offensive outpouring, the team entered that gauntlet with a little more swagger.
“It was what we needed,” O’Connell said. “It was nice for the guys to score some runs and build up some confidence.”
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