Elgin stumbles vs. Glenbard West

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The problems that plagued Elgin's baseball team all season continued Tuesday.

The Maroons committed five errors and could muster only two hits as they lost 10-1 to Glenbard West in a Class 4A Geneva Regional quarterfinal.

The 12th-seeded Hilltoppers move on to face No. 5 Bartlett in Thursday's semifinal.

"It's frustrating we couldn't turn it up for this game," Elgin coach Dave Foerster said. "Unfortunately this is how it's been going for us."

Glenbard West (19-15) jumped on Maroons starter Tom Roth (3-6) early, plating six runs in the bottom of the first inning. Roth would last only three innings, giving up six runs -- five earned -- on six hits and two walks.

Between a Ben Stone double to lead off the game for Elgin (5-23) and a Ben Hamblen single with two outs in the sixth, the Maroons bats were rendered ineffective against Hilltoppers pitching.

Elgin did scratch across a run in the top of the third when Stone came home from third base on a throw to second by Glenbard's catcher which went into center field. But the Maroons wouldn't get a runner past first base the rest of the game.

Roger Pope threw the first four innings, giving up just one hit and an unearned run.

"He pitched they way we thought he would," Hilltoppers coach Brian Wojtun said. "The way we came out of the gate in this game, we had a lot of confidence."

Meanwhile, facing an early deficit, the Maroons were deflated.

"I was hoping to come out stronger than we did," Hamblen said. "We just came out a little slow."

Added Foerster: "When you spot a good team like this six runs in the first inning, it's hard to come back. You start pressing a little more because you know you need seven to win. We weren't able to get that."