Team effort as Damsky, Prospect top Lake Zurich

No one brags much about batting last for their team. That No. 9 spot in the batting order is usually reserved for a light-hitting baseball player.

And so it looked just like that when Prospect's last hitter, Tyler Damsky, popped to the pitcher leading off the third inning in a tie game at Lake Zurich on Saturday morning.

And then Damsky came up again in the visitors' fourth inning. Two outs were on the board but the Knights (9-1) had a threat going. His fence-clearing 3-run homer broke this game wide open as Prospect took the first game of a twin bill 9-1.

"Anybody on this team can hit the ball,'' Damsky said. "I got a fastball and hit the ball well. I got some help from the wind."

By winning 9 out of their first 10 games the Knights seem to be building on their strong summer showing.

"This is a veteran group,'' said Prospect coach Ross Giusti. "The kids have paid their dues. Right now, we have a five-man outfield rotation. Tyler (Damsky) is tough. He's had a couple of big hits for us."

This game looked early to be a pitcher's duel. A pair of right-handers, Justin Placko for Prospect and Tyler Peterson for Lake Zurich, each surrendered unearned runs early and settled down. Peterson had retired seven Knights in order heading to the fateful 4th. An infield error opened the 5-run frame that broke the game open.

"Both of my guys pitched well,'' said Lake Zurich coach Chuck Gandolfi. "We just have to make plays. We have some injuries. Right now, it's the little things that are beating us."

In the meantime, Placko was taking down the LZ offense. He scattered 4 hits on the day.

"I threw strikes,'' Placko said. "I was hitting my spots. We had a nice deep run in the summer and now we have a phenomenal team this year."

Lake Zurich junior, Lucas Ehrhardt, had half of the hits for the Bears (3-6), including the lone extra-base hit, a double.

The Knights' offense didn't take the rest of the day off. In the fifth inning, Prospect shortstop Jake Cavaiani hit his second double of the game with one out. He took his time scoring as cleanup hitter Lucas Karz put one out over the fence in center field.

Lake Zurich reliever Richie Meagher pitched well in his two frames, striking out four. He surrendered one unearned run.

Prospect catcher Sean Delacruz, batting eighth for the Knights, doubled and drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

"This is a very confident group,'' Giusti said. "This is a team that doesn't like to lose."