Peotone Rides Early Surge and Leitelt’s Dominant Relief to 6-2 Win Over St. Anne

The Peotone varsity baseball team built an early five-run cushion and used a spectacular bullpen performance from junior Tyler Leitelt to secure a 6-2 non-conference road victory over St. Anne on Friday.

Leitelt was the story of the late innings, delivering an absolutely flawless three-inning relief appearance to slam the door on St. Anne. Facing nine batters over the final three frames, the junior struck out eight of them, utilizing just 30 pitches to completely neutralize the St. Anne lineup and preserve the victory. He took over for starting pitcher Cole Peppers, who navigated the first four innings. Peppers scattered five hits and allowed two earned runs while striking out four to earn the win on the mound.

Before the pitching took over, Peotone’s offense did heavy damage in the opening frames. The visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and followed it up with a three-run second inning to build a commanding 5-0 advantage.

Sophomore Kayden Derkacy paced the Peotone lineup, turning in a highly efficient 2-for-3 performance with a pair of RBIs. Declan McMaster also delivered an RBI double and scored a run, while Leitelt helped his own cause at the plate with a hit, a run scored, a stolen base, and an RBI.

St. Anne showed resilience in the bottom of the third inning, pushing two runs across the plate to cut the deficit to 5-2. However, that would be the extent of their offensive production. Peotone’s defense provided excellent support for their pitching staff, playing a clean, error-free game anchored by senior Everett Carder, who logged 13 putouts. St. Anne, conversely, struggled defensively, committing three errors in the field.

Peotone tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning before Leitelt closed out the game, finalizing the 6-2 road win.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• First Inning: Peotone strikes early to take a two-run lead. (Peotone 2, St. Anne 0)

• Second Inning: Peotone expands its advantage with a three-run rally. (Peotone 5, St. Anne 0)

• Third Inning: St. Anne gets on the scoreboard with a pair of runs. (Peotone 5, St. Anne 2)

• Seventh Inning: Peotone manufactures an insurance run to cap the scoring. (Peotone 6, St. Anne 2)

Individual Statistics

PEOTONE BATTING:

• Kayden Derkacy (So): 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 R

• Declan McMaster: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R

• Tyler Leitelt (Jr): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB

• Lincoln Tierney: 1-3, 1 R

• Cole Peppers: 1-4

• Alex Chenoweth (Jr): 0-4

• Everett Carder (Sr): 0-2, 1 BB

• T. Harshfield (Sr): 0-2, 2 BB

• Eli Chenoweth: 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB

PEOTONE PITCHING:

• Cole Peppers (W): 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 66 Pitches

• Tyler Leitelt (Jr): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 8 K, 30 Pitches

ST. ANNE STATISTICS:

• Individual statistics not provided.