Junior designated hitter Ben Johnson entered the season as a newcomer for Batavia, a team with several veteran returnees. Just where he was going to fit in, however, remained up in the air.
A fast start, which included a three-run homer Wednesday, has eased his mind a bit.
“A lot of nerves in the beginning of the season, so it felt really good to get a pitch I was looking for,” Johnson said of his big swing against Burlington Central. “It means a lot.
“My faith is really big to me. Being able to pray and calm myself down before I bat. It really means a lot to calm my nerves and really get into the mindset.”
Johnson helped the host Bulldogs jump out to a five-run lead, but the Rockets stormed back. He started another rally with a single in the sixth before the action-packed nonconference game ran out of sunlight, ending in an 11-11 tie.
Michael Vander Luitgaren went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs for Batavia (2-2-1). Johnson was one of five Bulldogs with two hits, joining Christian Balok, Brandon Oke, Loukas Vatianou and Brennon Zeng. Ryan Rodriguez followed Johnson’s homer with a solo shot onto the tennis courts.
Liam Schultz delivered a monster game for Burlington Central (2-1-1), going 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and five RBIs. Jaxton Bovee went 2-for-3 and walked twice.
Batavia coach Alex Beckmann, meanwhile, has been impressed with how quickly Johnson has adapted thus far to varsity baseball.
“He’s had a great start to the year,” Beckmann said. “He’s barreling baseballs. He worked really hard this offseason, found a way into the lineup. It’s hard to take him out. He kind of took a spot.
“I’ve been proud of his approach and hitting the ball hard.”
Beckmann didn’t know what piece of the puzzle Johnson was going to be coming into the season, but he knew there was potential.
“I knew he could hit,” Beckmann said. “We saw that all offseason. He’s gotten a lot stronger like a lot of our guys. It’s starting to pay off for him, so that’s good.”
Johnson nailed his three-run homer to right-center in the first and Rodriguez followed with a solo shot to give Batavia a 5-0 lead.
Sam Maglares, who started on the mound for Burlington Central, wasn’t shaken, though. He held the Bulldogs scoreless the next three innings to keep the Rockets in the game.
“’Mags’ settled in nicely,” Burlington Central coach Kyle Nelson said. “He didn’t throw bad pitches. They’re just a great hitting ballclub.
“He came off the mound that inning and said, ‘Hey, I executed what I wanted to. They just made me pay for it.’”
The Rockets scored six unearned runs in the fourth to take a 6-5 lead. That was highlighted by a two-run double from Schultz and a two-run single from Maglares.
They tacked on four more runs in the fifth, highlighted by Schultz’s three-run homer that cleared the football stands in right field.
Batavia roared back with six runs in the sixth to take an 11-10 lead. The Rockets scratched out a run in the top of the seventh to tie it. After Batavia went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the game was called for darkness.
“It’s early in the season,” Nelson said. “What are we trying to do? We’re trying to get better. (Wednesday) made us better, without question.”
And Johnson now has a taste of varsity baseball and a spot to maintain in the lineup.
He will lean on his faith to get through it.
“I feel like whenever I’m able to step in the box, I’m able to put myself into the game,” Johnson said. “I’m really focused on my approach and staying within myself.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
