LINCOLN — Chase Beckham has become a critical bulwark in the Sacred Heart-Griffin pitching rotation.
The junior right-hander navigated every challenge that Springfield High threw his way in a 4-1 victory in the Class 3A Lincoln Regional final on Saturday, May 30.
The Cyclones (25-7) advance to the Mount Zion Sectional semifinals against Normal U-High on Wednesday, June 3 at 6:30 p.m. SHG has won the previous two meetings against the Pioneers (27-5) this season, 4-0 on April 28 and 16-10 on May 14.
Beckham overcame a bumpy first inning before settling in and earning the win over 5 2/3 innings. He allowed one run on two hits and six walks.
He ushered just three strikeouts, but that’s deliberate. His natural inclination is forcing weak contact instead.
“I was just attacking everyone,” Beckham said. “I was just dialed in on each batter and just tried to attack them early and keep them off balance.”
Beckham is 6-1 with a sterling 1.69 ERA over seven starts and 41 1/3 innings this season.
“He’s really competitive and challenged the hitters,” SHG coach Nick Naumovich said. “He just got in a couple of spots where he kind of lost a little bit and a few walks, but Chase battled all day and I couldn’t be more happy for him.
“Chase kind of got his feet wet last year as a sophomore and we threw him into some pretty tough situations. This year, he’s been really good and towards the half of the year on, he is really dialed in and become a really good pitcher for us.”
The rest of the defense certainly shouldered its end of the bargain.
Sophomore Levi Daly, in particular, pulled off a couple of slick defensive gems down the third baseline to get the long throw-out. He also mustered a triple at the plate.
Daly attributed some of his defensive chops to senior shortstop Carson Butler.
“This is my first year on varsity,” Daly said. “I’ve just been kind of battling for position. I feel like I’ve just proved myself today. I love playing for my team and giving Chase a couple outs.
“Carson at shortstop is obviously a huge help for our team. He’s a senior going to Heartland (Community College) and he’s a big influence on me. I really like to learn from him.”
SHS (16-20) pulled ahead briefly on a Wade Snyder RBI double in the first inning. But the Cyclones, who won the Class 2A state title last season, immediately responded in the bottom half with Mikey Groesch and Austin Rutter yielding back-to-back RBI singles.
Butler and Ty Springer proceeded with back-to-back RBI sacrifice flies in the third.
SHS placed runners in scoring position most of the game, but couldn’t bring them home. SHG picked off two runners at third base in the fourth inning, while relief pitcher Drew Ward nixed a bases loaded threat in the sixth with a groundout.
Ward tallied the save in the final 1 1/3 innings, while also scoring twice at leadoff.
SHS freshman Connor Borah had two of the team’s three hits.
“We got better and it’s just one of those deals we didn’t hit much, they stopped us and the better team won,” SHS coach Jim Steinwart said. “They outplayed us pretty much in every direction. If you don’t get hits, you don’t win games.”
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Chase Beckham spurs Sacred Heart-Griffin baseball to regional title
Reporting by Bill Welt, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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