Streamwood surprises St. Charles North
Not having won a game since April 2 and scoring on average just over 2 runs per game, Streamwood baseball coach Ryan Lasota wasn’t exactly sure what team he saw playing in the Sabres’ uniforms.
That’s because the Sabres sent 11 batters to the plate and had 5 hits during a 6-run bottom of the first inning during a 12-2, five inning win over visiting St. Charles North in Upstate Eight Conference River Division play on Thursday. The win snaps a 10-game losing streak.
“After the first inning, I had to introduce myself to the team because I hadn’t seen that team this season,” Lasota joked.
The North Stars (9-8, 5-4) had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Kurt Barbeau hit a two-out single, stole second and scored on a Ryan Thomas (2-for-3) single.
Streamwood (2-11, 2-9) brushed that off in the bottom of the first when Michael Murawski (3 RBI) opened the rally with a 2-run double to center, and Eric Hamlin (2-for-3, 2 stolen bases, 3 RBI) capped the scoring with a two-run single. Chad and Troy Caminitti each had an RBI single in the frame.
“We haven’t seen that all year, and hopefully we can keep this going,” Murawski said. “That first inning was definitely a confidence boost.”
North starter Joe Barsanti lasted just. two-thirds of an inning, and the North Stars had to use four pitchers on the day. All 6 first inning runs were charged to Barsanti, but 3 were unearned because of a costly error.
Streamwood kept bashing the ball in the second inning, and Chad Caminitti capped the 2-run frame with a solo home run off the scoreboard in left-centerfield off Drew Underwager’s fastball.
“I was just going with the pitch,” Caminitti said of his first homer of the year. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to get, but I just went with the pitch.”
An RBI double from Hamlin and an RBI single from Jeff Weaver in the fifth gave Streamwood the 10-run rule win. Weaver was 2-for-4 with a double and a 2-run triple in the third.
Jeremy Campbell earned the win allowing 2 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks in the complete-game effort. Batterymate Troy Caminitti threw out 2 would be base stealers.
Tim Misner tripled and scored on a Barbeau groundout in the fifth for North’s final run. The loss snapped a 4-game winning streak for the North Stars.
“It’s hard to understand this game sometimes,” North Stars’ coach Todd Genke said. “Tomorrow’s another day, and we’ve got to get ready. We’ll be ready for Geneva.”