Bremen’s Xavier Aguilar kept his eye on the ball Friday night.
Even though that eye had nine stitches above it.
The junior first baseman had a bad hop hit him in the right eye April 19 against Lemont. He had to miss a few games, including Tuesday’s showdown against Tinley Park.
Aguilar said all he could do was cheer on the bench.
“We missed him,” Bremen coach Mike Cline said. “He brings so much to the team. He was disappointed he couldn’t play (Tuesday), but I told him he would get a chance.
“He has a winning spirit — he loves this stuff.”
There’s been a lot to love about Aguilar’s play since he was cleared to return Thursday morning. He went 4-for-5 Friday in a 7-6 South Suburban Blue victory over Tinley Park.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Aguilar delivered the game-winning double for the Braves (8-7-1, 6-4) into the right-center gap at Ozinga Field in Crestwood.
“This was my first high school walk-off,” he said. “I had a few in travel ball.
“I was locked in during batting practice. I was seeing the ball really well. I felt like hitting the ball hard was the way to go, and the last one went into the gap.”
Aguilar, who hits left-handed, combined with Connor Houlahan to pitch a no-hitter Thursday in a 4-1 win over Evergreen Park. That erased the sting of Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to Tinley.
“Last time I was on the bench and this time I got to participate,” Aguilar said. “It’s amazing.”
Aguilar reached base five times for the Braves, including three on singles and on one that was hit right at an infielder but the ball went right through his legs.
“He really wanted to pitch against Tinley, but we used him against Evergreen Park,” Cline said of Aguilar. “He’s the ace of our staff. So, for him to do it with the stick, I’m proud of him.
“He puts the work in, and when you put the work in — like they say, the harder you work, the luckier you get.”
Tinley Park (8-9, 5-5) took a 6-3 lead in the top of the sixth, but Bremen rallied.
Before Aguilar’s hit, Jordan Strache doubled in a run to cut the deficit to 6-5 and Houlahan forced the deadlock with an RBI single.
So, what’s better? Combining on a no-hitter or driving in the tying and winning runs?
“This is way better,” Houlahan said. “Especially against Tinley Park. It’s a rival, and it’s always a war with these guys.”
“There’s no better feeling in the world than a walk-off,” Aguilar said. “Having everybody running out of the dugout and celebrating as a team.”
For Tinley Park, Joey Harris and Michael Vesely each had two hits and two RBIs.
Vesely, who entered the game hitting .142, had a two-run double in the sixth to help give the Titans the 6-3 lead.
Sophomore catcher Austin Kirnbauer also came up big for Tinley. He singled home a run in the second inning, but his biggest play came behind the plate.
With the bases loaded in the third, sophomore pitcher Ryan Exline struck out a batter and Kirnbauer fired to third for a pickoff. Just like that, there were two outs, and Exline escaped the jam.
Bremen, however, hopes the come-from-behind win provides a spark for the rest of the conference season.
“We’ve played a lot of games that came down to late innings,” Cline said. “We lost some of them and now we’re winning them.
“There was a lot of energy in this game and I’m proud of the guys.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
