In the sixth inning of Leyden’s 5-4 win at Hinsdale South on Saturday, Eagles senior starting pitcher Kevin Nevarez tweaked his left knee slightly while throwing a pitch.
Leyden coach Rob Hamann called timeout and walked to the mound, but his right-handed pitcher already had an answer to the question he knew his coach was going to ask.
“He told me I couldn’t take him out,” Hamann said. “He really wanted it today.”
Nevarez stayed in the game and went on to pitch 6 2/3 innings in the West Suburban Gold game before handing the ball to Nick Herrera, who got the Hornets’ Jaxon Herchenbach to strike out swinging with the tying run on second base.
“I just landed wrong on a pitch, but it was fine,” Nevarez said of his knee. “I wasn’t coming out of the game.”
Behind Nevarez’s gritty performance on the mound, Leyden was able to beat Hinsdale South for the third time in three days.
“Kevin pitched great, especially with the wind blowing out,” Hamann said. “He kept them off-balance. He started a little slow and then really found his rhythm. He was aggressive in the strike zone and his sinking fastball is getting a lot of groundballs for him.
“He shut down Willowbrook last week and they’re in first place in the conference, and he pitched well today.”
Leyden (14-4-2, 8-3) got a two-out, two-RBI single in the third inning from center fielder Josh Cubon and another RBI from Cubon on a sacrifice fly in the fifth that held up as the game-winner. First baseman Brian Szopinski also drove in a run during Leyden’s three-run third inning.
Cubon made a fine catch in center field in the fifth inning.
“Our defense is great,” Nevarez said. “I have full confidence in the guys, and I’m not scared at all with them behind me. Some pitchers feel like they have to strike out every batter, but with this team I have total confidence in my defense to make plays.”
Of the 28 batters he faced, Nevarez struck out four and got seven groundouts and eight flyouts from the Hornets, while giving up seven hits.
When his two-seam fastball is working right, Nevarez and the Leyden defense live on a steady diet of groundouts.
“It wasn’t working as well as I wanted it to (against Hinsdale South). I didn’t get as many ground balls as I would have liked,” Herrera said. “But my curveball from sophomore year to now is a lot nastier and I also throw a changeup, but it really comes down to whatever (Hamann) calls.”
The Eagles won by scores of 9-1 and 5-1 over the Hornets in the two days leading up to Saturday’s win.
“It’s always hard to beat anyone three times, and Hinsdale South is always a great team and a great program,” Hamann said. “For our guys to dig deep and get through all three of these games was awesome.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press
