Foody gets his chance for Hornets

Updated: July 18, 2011 10:50PM

Now is Dan Foody’s time to shine for Hinsdale South’s baseball team.

The senior from Willowbrook rarely played last season as Eric Burger held the starting spot at second base for the Hornets, who claimed second in the West Suburban Gold during the spring season.

Foody started at second base Monday in the opening round of the Glenbard South Regional as part of the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Lawler Summer Classic.

Foody, batting eighth, went 3-for-3 with two runs in Hinsdale South’s 5-3 victory over Downers North in Darien.

Batting behind Foody, designated hitter Kyle Nelson went 2-for-3 and scored a run. Both Foody and Nelson scored runs during a three-run third inning as Hinsdale South (16-6) sent eight batters to the plate off starter Troy Southard, who suffered the loss.

The Hornets advanced to play Neuqua Valley, a 14-1 winner over Plainfield East, in the second of four quarterfinal games Tuesday at Glenbard South. Hinsdale South plays at 11:30 a.m. and the winner plays Benet or Glenbard South at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Glenbard South.

All three of Foody’s hits were singles. His fourth-inning hit to right field was the only one out of the infield. He scored in the third and sixth innings.

“I think the wind was blowing hard, so I kept it on the ground,” Foody said. “I knew we needed baserunners, so I just tried to get on.”

Hinsdale South’s only other batter to get more than one hit was senior leadoff hitter and center fielder Sean Beesley (2-for-4), who scored the final run in the three-run third after reaching on a bunt single.

The Hornets’ second batter, D.J. Deolitsis, reached base in three of his four plate appearances, getting on by an error, walk and RBI single.

P.J. Schuster put the Hornets ahead 3-0 with a two-run single that scored Nelson and Beesley. Deolitsis started the scoring with a sacrifice fly to bring in Foody.

Schuster earned the win and Beesley picked up the save on the mound. Schuster allowed five hits and three runs in 5 2/3 innings. He was removed after the Trojans (11-15-1) pulled to within 4-3 on Nick Keene’s RBI groundout and David Henson’s RBI single.

“(Schuster) had thrown about 80 pitches [actually 94] and it was just time to get him out of there. Beesley was perfect and worked out of a couple of spots,” said Hinsdale South coach Paul Hoel, who returned to the team this summer after previously coaching from 1995-2005.

Downers North junior shortstop Connor Kopach went 3-for-4 and scored a run. No other Trojans player had more than one hit off Schuster.

“He pretty much threw fastballs. On a 1-2 or 0-2 count, he would thrown a knuckleball,” said Kopach, who will finish the rest of the summer playing for the Chicago White Sox Academy travel team.

Hinsdale South spent the summer getting used to Hoel, who succeeded Kraig Conyer after the high school season ended.

“(Hoel) has been great. All the players think he’s really positive the way he teaches,” Foody said. “Every game, you learn something new.”

© 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.