Peyton Wemken has been on varsity for four seasons at Larkin. He’s seen a lot of lean years.
The senior pitcher hasn’t experienced a double-digit win season with the Royals, but he and his teammates stuck with the plan coach Niko Morado laid out in taking over the program.
“It was just hard work, staying on the grind, always focused and trusting your teammates,” Wemken said. “We had to work through all the tough stuff.”
Those experiences made Wednesday’s 4-3 Upstate Eight Conference win all the more sweeter.
And Wemken was in the middle of most of it. He toughed out his first outing of the season, working 4 1/3 innings and leaving with a one-run deficit against host Bartlett. He later scored the tying run in the sixth and then drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded walk in the seventh.
Wemken went 2-for-2 to raise his average to a team-best .345 for Larkin (5-5, 2-1). Alan Arzola and Enzo Novelli each had two hits. Josh Colaizzi contributed two hits for Bartlett (9-4, 2-1), while Alex Bihun and Colin Swalley reached base four times apiece.
Wemken let it be known that he wanted the ball for his first start of the season Wednesday, and he kept the Royals in the game while taking a no-decision.
“I remember back to last year when I faced them and I did decently,” Wemken said. “I just thought, ‘Hey, if nobody else is going to step up, I will.’ I stepped up.”
Morado appreciated Wemken’s effort.
“It was good to see him go out and battle,” Morado said. “He’s a tough kid, and he really wanted this game. I think he was confident and knew what he could do, and went out there and performed.”
Bartlett jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but Wemken settled in after remembering some good advice.
“Coach Nico always says, you have to be a goldfish,” Wemken said. “You have to forget that stuff and you have to come back.”
The Hawks only scored one more run, however, as the Royals chipped away.
“It doesn’t matter the opponent — just come out and play,” Bartlett assistant coach Tanner Spinks said. “We’ve won a lot of one-run games recently, and these guys think we’re going to win all of those.
“That’s not necessarily the case. If you have an off day, any team can win. They’re a good team.”
Wemken led off the sixth with a single and scored on a sacrifice fly to force a 3-3 tie. Then, in the seventh, he drew a one-out bases-loaded walk to give Larkin the lead for good.
“It was definitely energetic,” Wemken said. “It was a lot of fun. It’s definitely a big win. We’ve definitely been working on it the past couple years.”
At-bats like the ones Wemken put together give Morado the confidence to slot him in the middle of the order. Wemken batted fifth Wednesday.
“A lot of these guys are four-year guys, and it’s good to see it catching up to them and them being ready for those moments,” Morado said. “Peyton has been swinging a lot bat for us. He’s been driving in a lot of runs in the middle of the order.”
Morado also hopes Wednesday’s victory is the kind of signature win that signals the program is headed in the right direction.
“I think we’re definitely trending up right now,” Morado said. “We’ve taken our lumps the past couple years, but they’re starting to mature into what we knew was inside.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
