Senior outfielder Jonathan Trotter had been going through an extended hitting slump, but he had a good feeling he was ready to snap out of it. So did Marian Catholic coach Dave Letourneau.
In fact, Letourneau made an excited proclamation a couple hours before Friday night’s game.
“We talked about it around 4:15 in the cage,” Letourneau said. “I walked in, he did a little tweaking, and then after his next two swings, I literally shouted to every single kid, ‘Trotter’s back, boys.’
“I just knew it. I just had a feeling. He’s too good to slump for that long, so it was just a matter of time.”
Indeed, Trotter was back — and just in time for a showdown under the lights against neighborhood rival Homewood-Flossmoor.
Trotter delivered two doubles, including a two-run drive to the right-center gap in the sixth inning that gave the visiting Spartans the lead for good on their way to a 6-5 win in Flossmoor.
Matt Rusin allowed just one hit and one unearned run over the final three innings to earn the win in relief for Marian Catholic (10-14). He also had two singles. Jazarris Mackmore went 2-for-3 with two runs and Matt Gonzalez finished 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Mercyhurst recruit Derrick Holmes went 2-for-4 with an RBI for H-F (10-14), while Eastern Michigan commit Demir Heidelberg finished 2-for-4 with a run and Triton recruit Mateo Morales scored twice.
Trotter, meanwhile, was hitting .500 through nine games but saw his average drop to .303 going into Friday’s game.
“It’s been a rough couple weeks,” Trotter said. “I haven’t been doing what I thought I should be doing. I made a couple tweaks, adjustments. I came back and was swinging it good before the game, so I felt like (Friday) was going to be the day.”
After striking out in his first at-bat, Trotter ripped a double to center field and scored in the third inning. He then delivered the big blow in a three-run rally for the Spartans during the sixth inning as his two-run double gave them a 6-4 lead.
Letourneau knew the breakout was coming.
“He cares,” Letourneau said of Trotter. “He thinks hitting 24/7. He’s one of those guys where you can see him in the outfield and he’s swinging in the air. He found me in the hallway at school the other day and he was like, ‘Coach, am I pulling my head out on my swing?’
“He wants to be so successful. He wants to win. The sound is different when it connects off his bat.”
Trotter said when he’s going through a slump, he tries to remain positive.
“It’s just trusting the process to work,” he said. “Go watch video and see what it was like when you were doing good. And always have confidence in yourself.”
The Spartans trailed 4-1 after four innings, but Rusin’s strong work on the mound gave them time to come back.
H-F had the tying run on second base with two outs in the seventh, but Rusin got a flyout for the final out, delighting the Spartan portion of a loud crowd.
“Coming here and winning felt great,” Rusin said. “I just had to stay consistent, trust my guys and know that I’m the best.”
As for Trotter, he has raised his average back up to .319 with a team-high 18 RBIs.
He’s also poured his heart into baseball, especially since an injury sophomore year made him realize how much he loved the sport.
“I had a torn meniscus and I missed some of the season and I hated being out,” he said. “When I came back, I was like, ‘I’m going all-in on baseball.”
