St. Charles North’s Ben Auer knew he was going to have more on his plate this season.
Auer threw only eight innings last spring, concentrating mostly on hitting and playing the outfield.
With the early graduation of Northwestern football recruit Keaton Reinke and an injury to Matt Ritchie, however, the North Stars’ top two pitchers suddenly needed to be replaced.
“I just put my head down and got to work because with the loss of those two, nobody is going to think we’re good,” Auer said. “I did my very best to put on some weight.
“We lost Keto and Matt, so somebody has to step up.”
Auer has has filled the void thus far, and the senior right-hander did it again Monday in a 1-1 nonconference tie against Burlington Central that was called after seven innings due to darkness.
A Wisconsin-Whitewater recruit, Auer went 5 1/3 innings and struck out seven while scattering one hit and two walks for the North Stars (6-2-1). Auer and Charlie Major each had two hits.
Mason Netcel walked and scored the tying run in the bottom of the seventh. Thomas Koertgen scored the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh for Burlington Central (3-3-2) on an infield single from Wagner Viebrock.
Knowing he was on a 75-pitch count to get him ready for the start of DuKane Conference play next week, Auer was efficient in pitching into the sixth. Staying ahead in the count allowed him to unleash an impressive slider, which he was able to throw for strikes all day.
“I thought Ben threw great,” St. Charles North coach Todd Genke said. “He got ahead in the count. He was working fast. The breaking ball was sharp.
“He’s going to be one of our guys for sure. He’s earned that opportunity.”
The Rockets went in a different direction. With Fox Valley Conference play starting Tuesday, Burlington Central coach Kyle Nelson used a new pitcher every inning to keep his staff sharp.
Despite the constant turnover, the Rockets still held North to an unearned run on five hits.
“I just wanted to make sure everybody was fresh and ready to go,” Nelson said. “Just proud of the guys and the way they battled out there. It wasn’t like there were seven 1-2-3 innings. They had to wiggle out of some situations.
“They made some really big pitches against some really good hitters.”
While Auer kept the North Stars in the game on the mound, they couldn’t take advantage of some scoring opportunities. A few baserunning mistakes erased runners in scoring position, squashing rallies before they could get started.
“Any time you play a tight game, baserunning plays a big part,” Genke said. “We just made some mistakes that can’t be made.
“The elements aren’t ideal for hitting, but I felt we had enough opportunities to pull it out.”
It was the first game for the North Stars since coming home after their spring break trip to Tennessee. Auer confirmed that getaway solidified an already strong bond.
“We have great team chemistry,” Auer said. “This is one of the most fun teams I’ve ever been a part of. We get our work done and work hard in practice, but we also have our fun, which is important.
“If you’re not having fun, what are you doing?”
It’s early in the season, but Auer has already established himself as one of St. Charles North’s horses on the mound.
“Losing Keto and Matt was about 100 innings right there that we don’t have coming back,” Genke said. “Ben threw only eight innings last year, but he’s worked hard.
“He’s one of those kids you want to root for because he just works his tail off.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
