Geier wins pitching duel to help Larkin

Larkin's Justin Lewis slides safely into second base, eluding the tag of Elgin High's Lee Jackson on Tuesday at Larkin.
(Michael Smart/Staff Photographer)

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ELGIN -- Looming large in Larkin senior Luc Geier's mind Tuesday was his lack of success when pitching against Elgin senior Tom Roth.

So when the Royals came away with a 6-1 Upstate Eight Conference win against the Maroons it was mission accomplished for Geier, who tossed a complete game to outduel his counterpart Roth on a chilly afternoon at Larkin High.

"That's my first win against Tommy going back to Little League and everything," Geier said. "I was 0-6 career before today, so I've been looking forward to this game."

Barring a potential postseason rematch, Geier (3-1) will have a fond memory of his final showdown with Roth. Despite struggling with his cutter and curveball, Geier used a steady diet of fastballs and change-ups to keep Elgin's hitters off balance.

The Maroons managed only four hits off Geier, who struck out six and walked four as Larkin (6-7, 2-1) won for the fourth time in its past five meetings with Elgin (0-6, 0-3). The teams meet again at 4:30 today at Elgin High.

"(Geier) has been really consistent all year," Larkin coach Matt Esterino said. "He pounds the strike zone, which is the main thing, and lets our defense play behind him. It worked out today."

Roth (0-1) was tagged with the loss after allowing two earned runs on eight hits while striking out five and walking two. A high pitch count and a sore arm ended his day after four innings.

Roth helped his cause in the top of the third when his RBI double drove in Lee Jackson to tie the score at 1. Larkin was able to regain the lead for good in the bottom of the inning when Geier and Scott Harm connected for back-to-back RBI singles that didn't leave the infield.

Elgin committed two errors in the third inning and had four on the day, adding to the frustration of the defeat.

"I thought Tommy pitched well enough for us to win," Elgin coach Dave Foerster said. "He battled but he threw far too many pitches because he had to. We made a lot of mistakes behind him, and when you don't make the routine plays you're in trouble."

An aggressive approach at the plate and on the basepaths aided the Royals. Six different players recorded a stolen base for Larkin, which tallied 12 hits.

Jon Meidel led the attack, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Scott Harm (2-for-3, 2 RBIs), Reid Ellis (2-for-3) and Joe Stace (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) also enjoyed productive days.

"I've been seeing the ball good lately," Meidel said. "I've just been putting it in play and seeing what happens and it's been going well in this first half of the season."