AURORA — Regis Jesuit is Class 5A Continental League champion, and Alex Goetz has the battle scar to prove it.
The Raiders right-hander felt like target practice Friday after one line drive narrowly missed him and another, off the bat of Shane Opitz, was a direct shot to his right thigh; the pitcher recovered to get an out on the play.
But despite having to alter his mechanics and running with a noticeable limp, Goetz recovered to pitch a complete game in the Raiders’ 6-2 league clincher.
“Once I got hit, my mechanics changed, because I wasn’t able to push off my back leg as much,” said an emotional Goetz, who improved to 7-0. “It was important that I became a pitcher in that fourth inning; stop throwing and learn how to pitch.”
Goetz yielded a two-run single to Bryce Kitchen shortly after getting hit in the fourth, and Heritage led 2-0, but that was it for the Eagles. Regis (13-6, 9-2) got a run back in the bottom of the inning, then pushed across five in the bottom of the fifth.
The key moment occurred when, ahead 2-1, Heritage (11-6, 6-4) decided to intentionally walk Mitch Robinson to load the bases for Connor McKay, the cleanup hitter. McKay, owner of nine home runs this season, promptly blasted a go-ahead, two-run double.
“That was my job in the four spot to get those guys in,” McKay said.
Evan Escobedo followed with a two-run single, and freshman Brodie Weiss (3-for-3) capped the inning with an RBI single. The story for Regis, though, was the courage of Goetz.
“I really thought once Shane hit him with that line drive that we’d get to him,” Heritage coach Scott Horman said. “We continued to hit the ball, but we hit it right at them.”
Goetz yielded only five hits and retired 11 of the final 12 batters.
“The bruise is well worth the win,” Goetz said. “Absolutely.”
While Heritage still has a league game to play, Regis wrapped up its regular-season schedule. That will give Goetz time to heal before district play, although his teammates wouldn’t count him out if there were a game today.
“That’s nothing to Goetz,” McKay said. “He’s tough as nails.”
Heritage 000 200 0 — 2 5 0
Regis Jesuit 000 150 x — 6 10 0
Heritage (ab-r-h-rbi) — Madrid rf 4-0-0-0, Egeberg p 3-0-1-0, Opitz ss 3-0-1-0, Mulhern cf 2-1-0-0, Hercher dh 3-1-1-0, Griebel lf 1-0-0-0, Kitchen 1b 3-0-2-2, Ellis 3b 2-0-0-0, Wilkinson 2b 3-0-0-0, Calhoun c 0-0-0-0. Totals 24-2-5-2.
Regis Jesuit — Knox 2b 4-0-1-0, Goetz p 3-0-1-0, Eller cr 0-1-0-0, Robinson 1b 2-2-1-0, McKay rf 4-1-2-2, Escobedo lf 3-1-1-2, Weiss ss 3-0-3-2, Murton c 2-0-1-0, Ernst cf 3-0-0-0, Cameron dh 2-1-0-0, Griffith 3b 0-0-0-0. Totals 26-6-10-6.
E — None. LOB — Heritage 5, Regis Jesuit 1. 2B — Egeberg, Goetz, McKay. SB — Eller. CS — Griebel, McKay. SAC — Ellis. Batteries — Egeberg, Bustos (5) and Calhoun; Goetz and Murton. W — Goetz (7-0). L — Egeberg (5-3). T — 1:56.
