Stevenson (7-1) shares the wealth to whip Hersey

Stevenson may not have a lineup filled with imposing bats.

But the Patriots have a way of imposing their will on opposing pitchers in a batting order with no easy outs.

They foul off tough two-strike pitches. They take what pitchers give them from walks to line-drive singles.

And everyone in the Stevenson (7-1) lineup played a part Monday afternoon in a 15-4 nonconference baseball victory over Hersey (7-2) in Arlington Heights.

"One game it could be one person and the next game it could be another," said Stevenson leadoff man and center fielder Corey Lasky, who went 1-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 walks. "You never really know.

"We have a good mindset at the plate and it's been successful so far."

Kory Cutler, Patrick Wilson, Erick King and Teddy Heiser each had 2 of Stevenson's 13 hits. It also made Hersey pay for 10 walks as eight scored.

And Alex Daar was hit and Jeff Ferstein walked on 3-2 pitches with the bases loaded in a 3-run third that put the Patriots up 5-1.

Daar fouled off 2 two-strike pitches and Ferstein fouled one off Hersey junior Joe Perricone, who threw 132 pitches in 52/3 innings. Lasky also fouled off 2 two-strike pitches before an RBI single in the second.

"Up and down the lineup we know we have guys who will put up quality at-bats," Stevenson coach Paul Mazzuca said after scoring 10 runs the last two innings. "Their kid threw hard and our approach was to try to wear him down and run up his pitch count and take advantage of the pitches he did leave up."

Hersey had allowed only 21 runs in its first seven games (which included a tie). But gifts such as walks and errors have led to 38 given up in its last three.

"It doesn't matter who you are and what level you're at," said Hersey coach Bob Huber, "if you can't catch it and throw it you won't be very successful."

Stevenson juniors Isaac Greenspon and Blake Fiedelman were with some solid defensive help. Greenspon went 32/3 innings in his first start and nearly got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fourth but Jake Knauss (2-for-3, 4 RBI) bounced a two-out, 2-run single to center to get Hersey within 5-3.

Fiedelman came in and hit the first hitter he faced but got cleanup man Chris Polinski to fly to right. The left-hander finished for the save.

Heiser also made a slick backhand play at second base to start a double play with shortstop Kyle Ruchim to end the fifth. Third baseman Michael Martin made a diving backhand grab of a liner in the second.

And Lasky made a nice running grab in deep center of Knauss' sacrifice fly in the sixth and ended the inning with a perfect throw to keep Dalton Farel from scoring on Polinski's single.

"We just compete and want it a lot," Lasky said. "We're going to dig deep and find a way to win."