Even though Zacharia Barkho has emerged as South Elgin’s ace in the second half of the season, there are still benchmarks for the developing pitcher to reach.
One of them is finding a way to get the win for the Storm without his best stuff. That was the junior right-hander’s test Monday at rival Bartlett.
“Was this his best outing?” South Elgin coach Jim Kating said. “No, but he gutted it out. I was very proud of him.”
Count it as another test passed for Barkho. He outdueled Bartlett’s Josh Colaizzi as both threw complete games in a 1-0 Upstate Eight Conference victory that went to the visiting Storm.
It was the ninth straight win for South Elgin (19-9, 14-1), while Bartlett (16-14-1, 12-5) had its eight-game win streak was snapped.
Barkho struck out seven while allowing two hits and a walk. He singled in the fifth and courtesy runner Aiden Bernau scored game’s lone run on an error. Nathan Kmiec had the other hit.
Colaizzi was just as dominant for Bartlett. He struck out 12 and allowed an unearned run on two hits and a walk. Alex Bihun doubled and Brandon Pelz singled for the Hawks’ only two hits.
Battling through a game without his best stuff, Barkho said he had to rely on his mental toughness to get through the outing.
“I think if I can just stay mature in my head and think strategically instead of getting angry at everything that’s going on, I can find a couple of pitches that will work for me and I can continue to put the ball where I need it to be,” Barkho said. “If my fastball is off, I can go with the two-seam. Curveball off, I can change it to a slider.
“I have to find my groove for the day, find my arm slot.”
If Barkho didn’t have his best stuff, he could have fooled Bartlett coach Alex Coan, who came away impressed.
“He mixed it up well,” Coan said of Barkho. “He has a nice fastball-slider mid. He picks his spots really well. He really targets the zone. When he’s doing that and he’s on, he’s tough to beat.”
Coan had plenty of praise for his ace after Colaizzi’s performance as well.
“He’s been everything we’ve asked for and then some,” Coan said. “He’s a dog. That’s what it is.”
Barkho and Colaizzi have been friends since they were kids, so it gave the duel extra meaning.
“We go way back,” Barkho said. “It was fun. We both got to share an experience with each other that I’ll never forget.”
In addition to bringing the Storm one win closer to an Upstate Eight title, the game also held special meaning to Kating.
The only head coach South Elgin has known since the school started playing varsity sports in the 2006-07 season is retiring at season’s end. He was honored with a plaque before the game.
Kating began his career coaching at Bartlett in 1997.
“I was not expecting that at all,” Kating said. This is the first place I coached when I came to U-46, so that was nice.
“(My brain) is firing on all cylinders. (My body) is telling me I’m done. I still have the burn, though.”
Kating’s impending retirement is something Barkho and his teammates have discussed. They want to rack up as many wins and accolades as they can before it’s all over.
“That’s the goal — the conference title, get it for him,” Barkho said. “He’s put so much into this program. All we can do is try to get him wins. I think we’re just bonding as a team a lot more.
“I feel like the closer we keep getting, the better we’re playing.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
