Maranto pitches in as Mundelein tops McHenry

Chris Maranto got his first varsity pitching start for Mundelein’s baseball team Saturday, and the Division I-bound middle infielder didn’t disappoint.

Maranto allowed only 1 run and 5 hits over 5 innings, as the Mustangs defeated visiting McHenry 8-3 in a nonconference game.

“I just came out and threw strikes and did whatever it took to win,” said Maranto, who signed this spring with Butler University.

Zack Pawlowski pitch the sixth, and Jared Mandel finished up on the mound for Mundelein, which improved to 22-4.

Maranto helped himself at the plate with a double, single, stolen base and 2 RBI.

“He’s been one of our better hitters the past two years so we expect him to give us some quality at-bats,” Mustangs coach Todd Parola said.

McHenry touched Maranto for a run in the fourth, but Mundelein answered in its half of the frame. Maranto’s RBI double off Warriors starter Jaimie Rammel highlighted a 3-run inning.

“He threw me some good pitches at first, and I knew I had to hit inside the ball,” Maranto said. “He threw me an inside fastball and I was able to turn on it.”

Rammel had retired the first 10 hitters he faced. Jordan Wiegold’s one-out single in the fourth broke up the perfect game. Torr Randau followed Maranto’s double with a double of his own, making 2-1. Two batters later, Bryan Wiener singled in Randau.

“The bats woke up,” Parola said.

McHenry scored its last two runs without a base hit, as the Warriors took advantage of 2 errors and a walk.

“Defensively,” Parola said, “we are better than what we’ve shown the past few games.”

Wiener made a defensive gem in center field to open the game, as he dived to his left to rob McHenry’s Payton Lykins of extra bases.

McHenry (16-12) finished with 6 hits.

“(Mundelein) made us pay (in the fourth),” McHenry coach Brian Rockweiler said. “They had guys on base and they came through with some big hits. We struggled a little bit scoring runs at times and we just didn’t capitalized in a couple of situations.”