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Greenberg pitches Glenbard North past West Aurora

A sharp and clean effort from the Glenbard North baseball team led to a 4-0 win over West Aurora on Tuesday in the Panthers' home opener.

Glenbard North three-year starter Luke Greenberg pitched 6 scoreless innings, giving up 6 hits with 7 strikeouts while doing well to get out of a couple of sticky situations.

Backing up Greenberg was a defense that didn't allow an error and an offense that scored two in the first off a Eric Orze double and had two runners score on the games only error in the third.

"It was a good job by us defensively," said Panthers coach Rich Smelko. "I thought we fielded our positions well and made the routine plays, and obviously when you're doing that, making routine plays, you're gonna win more times than not."

When Blackhawks pitcher Logan Love hit the Panthers' Sam Ledbetter and allowed a double to Nolan Jasinski, the Panthers had runners at second and third until Orze drilled a shot over the right fielder to put the home side up 2-0.

With one out in the top of the second inning, West Aurora (1-3) got runners on first and second trying to respond, but Greenberg did well, forcing a pop up and striking out the next batter to get out of the inning.

"We've been facing some pretty good pitching early on here and we've been scuffling a little bit with the ability to score runs," said Blackhawks coach John Reeves. "I thought today we hit some balls harder than we had all season, but obviously you take back the play in the third and you're probably sitting at a 2-0 game."

In the third inning, with John Bosco and Ledbetter on first and second with singles, a bunt from Jasinski caused trouble for West Aurora when three-year starting catcher Seth Palmby tried to get the out at first but didn't realize there wasn't someone covering the base.

Bosco and Ledbetter scored to increase the lead to 4-0, where it stayed for the rest of the game.

The Blackhawks threatened in the top of the sixth with Kyle Walden and T.J. Jackson on second and third after a double from Jackson, but Greenberg got his grounder to finish his day without giving up a run.

"Just off the bat I was throwing strikes so I knew that was a good sign," Greenberg said. "That's what you have to do to win the game, just throw strikes, just keep battling up there, make them work up there and hit my spots. That's pretty much what I did."

Ledbetter then pitched a 1-hit seventh to give the Panthers their second win of the season.

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