Errors Plague Hawthorne In 5-1 Loss To St. John Lutheran

By Jesse Bratman and Ellen Mulgrew

HAWTHORNE — Three unearned runs was the difference in Hawthorne’s 5-1 high school baseball loss to St. John Lutheran on Monday.

Pitching Dominates in Early Innings

Hawthorne (1-7) starting pitcher Drake Barbato  dominated early, having a 1-2-3 first inning with two strikeouts. St. John (10-2) starting pitcher Adam Stillwell matched Barbato with a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the bottom of the first.

We are scoreless after the first inning of Hawthorne vs. St. Johns Lutheran.#espngainesville #baseball #hawthorne pic.twitter.com/pJu8R0wuuL

— Jesse Bratman (@jessebratman) April 1, 2024

The first hit of the game occurred in the second inning, when St. John’s Justin Wallace singled. After Wallace stole second base, Dorien McAleese hit a ground ball which was fielded between first and second base, but no Hawthorne player covered first. With runners on first and third and two outs, Hawthorne left fielder Zaraun Sesler made a diving catch to keep the game scoreless.

In the bottom of the second, Isaiah Myers reached first on a ground ball to third base that was mishandled. Stillwell continued to dominate despite the error.

A Three-Base Error Puts St. John Lutheran On The Board

Leading off the third inning, Lucas Dobrzykowski hit a ground ball to third base, which was fielded and then overthrown into right field. He was able to reach third base off the error. A double by Stillwell drove in Dobrzykowski later in the inning.

With St. John runners on second and third base, Barbato was able to mitigate the damage by striking out two batters to end the inning.

Hawthorne responded in the bottom of the third with a run of its own. Amari Johnson started the inning beating out a ground ball to shortstop for a single. He then stole second base to put himself in scoring position. Branson Byrd drove Johnson home with a two-out single to tie the game.

The pitching picked up in the fourth inning for both teams. Barbato struck out the side in the fourth. Stillwell had two strikeouts of his own in a scoreless home fourth.

St. John Lutheran Bats Catch Fire

The top of the fifth inning opened with a single Christian Bessoni. He stole second base and then reached third off a ball that got past Hawthorne catcher Connor Flinchum. Stillwell had a sacrifice fly to drive in Wallace to make the score 2-1. Later in the inning, Luis Roman doubled and scored on a Wallace single for a 3-1 lead.

Looking to respond, the Hawthorne offense was unable to get on base. Stillwell had a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the fifth.

St. Johns bats are starting to heat up in the top of the 5th. Score is now 3-1 Saints. #espngainesville #baseball #highschool pic.twitter.com/FVQLeULBQL

— Jesse Bratman (@jessebratman) April 1, 2024

In the top of the sixth, Flinchum and Barbato switched positions, with Flinchum taking the mound. He cooled the St. John offense with a three-up-three down inning. Stillwell responded with another scoreless inning.

Errors Make the Score 5-1

Bessoni led off the top of the seventh with a single down the third base line. He was able to steal second and third base. Hayden Rickman hit a ground ball back to Flinchum. Trying to get Bessoni out at third base, Flinchum threw the ball over the head of his third baseman, allowing Bessoni to score and Rickman to reach second base. After a walk and a batter

hit by pitch, the bases were loaded with two outs. Roman hit a ground ball to shortstop, which was fielded and underthrown to first for another run for St. John due to error.

St. John Closes The Game

Rickman was sent to the pitcher’s mound to close out the game. A quick strikeout, flyout to center field and a groundout to first conclude the game.

Up Next

Hawthorne will play Crescent City at home at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.