GENEVA–The Geneva baseball team delivered one clutch hit after another Thursday night.

The Eagles scored all 14 of their runs with two outs and erupted after a slow start to rally past Conneaut baseball for a 14-4 Chagrin Valley Conference Lake Division victory in six innings.

Trailing 1-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, Geneva finally broke through with a five-run rally and never looked back.

“That’s real big. We preach consistency and next opportunity,” said Geneva head coach JT Fobell. “The first couple of innings, we were struggling, kind of beating ourselves at the plate.

“We’ve been talking with the guys about staying in that next pitch, next at-bat, next opportunity mentality. Just because you failed early, stay positive, keep your confidence, and know the work they’ve put in is eventually going to take over.”

Conneaut grabbed the early lead in the opening inning after three walks loaded the bases. A passed ball allowed Keigan Spring to score for a 1-0 advantage.

Geneva’s offense was quiet through the first three innings before the Eagles finally broke through in the fourth.

Nick Kustala sparked the rally with a leadoff double and eventually scored with two outs. KJ Fobell later came home on consecutive passed balls, giving Geneva a 2-1 lead.

Kaiden Cottrell followed with an RBI single, Bryce Junker added another run-scoring hit, and Logan Rustic capped the inning with an RBI single, stretching the lead to 5-1.

Geneva kept the pressure on in the fifth. A balk and another passed ball allowed KJ Fobell and Hutchens to score before Rustic’s pop-up dropped for an error that plated two more runs for a 9-1 advantage.

Conneaut attempted to chip away in the sixth. Nick Llamas walked and eventually scored on passed balls before Colby Stiltner laid down an RBI bunt to score Marcus Garcia.

After Stiltner later crossed the plate on a dropped third strike, the Spartans had trimmed the deficit to 9-4.

Geneva answered immediately.

Brendon Fobell singled, stole third, and scored on a passed ball before Cottrell drove in another run with a single. Ryland Besco later added an RBI on a dropped third strike, and Ruscin ended the game with a walk-off RBI double.

The Eagles’ ability to stay composed after the slow start impressed their head coach.

“Having these seniors, these four guys, they’ve been here and played a lot of baseball,” Coach Fobell said. “Having them keep everybody mentally in check and relay that confidence and next opportunity approach has been huge.

“They’ve done a good job setting the example, and it’s trickled down.”

Rustic led Geneva offensively, going 3-for-5 with four RBI. Hutchens finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while Kustala went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Junker also collected two hits in the win.

Rustic earned the victory on the mound after allowing one run on two hits with five strikeouts over three innings.

KJ Fobell worked 2 1/3 innings in relief, and Junker closed out the game.

Conneaut managed three hits, getting one apiece from Daniel Huya, Jacob Thomas, and Evan Vendetti.

Brady Morrison provided solid relief work for the Spartans, striking out seven over 3 2/3 innings.

Geneva visits Lake Catholic High School on Friday, while Conneaut travels to Fairport Harding High School on Thursday.

Top PlayersLogan Rustic (Geneva): 3-for-5, 4 RBIHutchens (Geneva): 3-for-3, 2 RKaiden Cottrell (Geneva): RBI single, scored runNick Kustala (Geneva): 2-for-3, double, runBryce Junker (Geneva): 2-for-4, RBIBrady Morrison (Conneaut): 3 2/3 IP, 7 KMore Baseball Coverage From OhioVarsity.com