Historic perfect game for South Elgin's Weiss

South Elgin pitcher Ryan Weiss threw the first perfect game in school history in an 8-0 victory over Glenbard East on Wednesday.

Weiss (2-0) said he didn't feel that great early on, but he gained confidence as the game progressed.

"After the first three down I didn't know how the day would go," he said. "I didn't know how I was throwing the ball. Then I struck out the side in the second and gained a lot of confidence. Then it was like 'OK, let's do this.'"

The senior right-hander struck out the side again in the third. He said his curveball wasn't sharp so he relied on placing fastballs on the corners and mixing in his changeup to keep hitters off stride.

Weiss extended one batter to a 3-0 count only to throw 3 straight strikes to keep the perfect game intact, not that anyone in the dugout was talking to him about such things.

"I think a lot of people became aware of it in the sixth inning when it started becoming a reality," South Elgin coach Jim Kating said. "Superstitiously, no one talked to him. It was fun getting the kids to stay focused on making plays. I think they enjoyed being part of it."

Weiss completed his 80-pitch, 10-strikeout gem with a groundout to shortstop Dane Toppel, who threw to Joey Roberson at first base to end it.

"I can't tell you how it feels," said Weiss, who credited catcher Mitch Butvilas and assistant coach Ben Erickson for his pitch selection. "I'm still speechless. I'm loving every second of it."

South Elgin (5-0, 2-0 Upstate Eight Valley) benefitted offensively from Kyle Hays (2-3, 2 RBI), Nick Menken (2-4, RBI), Kevin Barry (1-2, 2 RBI) and Jared Kramer (1-2, 2 RBI).

Marmion 8, Westminster Christian 0: Senior Thomas Boland threw a no-hitter against the Warriors in this nonconference meeting in Elgin. Boland did not walk a batter, but 2 Marmion errors separated the outing from perfection. Tyler Schoemann took the loss for Westminster Christian (4-5)

Bartlett 14, West Aurora 3 (5 inn.): Johnny Johnson had 3 hits including a double and drove in 3 runs, and Michael Pfaender went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI to lead the Hawks' 17-hit onslaught in this Upstate Eight Valley win. Alex Curtis picked up the victory for Bartlett (4-3, 2-0). He allowed 3 unearned runs on 7 hits and a walk and struck out 8 in 4 innings.

West Chicago 6, Larkin 2: Jon Lenz pitched well, but 6 errors by the Larkin defense undermined him in this Upstate Eight River defeat. Five of the 6 runs charged to Lenz were unearned. He allowed 6 hits and 2 walks and struck out 5 in 7 innings. He also accounted for 2 of the 4 hits for Larkin (2-4, 1-1).

Burlington Central 11, North Boone 3: The Rockets scored 5 runs in the fifth and 4 in the sixth to run away with this Big Northern East home game. John Murphy slugged 2 home runs and drove in 5. Killian Vascica and Andrew Wiss also homered and Jake Johnson went 2-for-3 with 2 doubles for Burlington Central (7-1, 2-0). Winning pitcher Dylan Berry struck out 12, walked 1 and allowed 2 unearned runs on 3 hits in 5⅔ innings.

Hampshire 9, Sycamore 0: The Whip-Purs erupted for 5 first-inning runs and added 2 runs in both the third and fifth innings to secure this nonconference home win. Tyler Schutt (RBI) went 2-for-4 and Matt Kielbasa, Jacob Manning and Tristyn Ross each drove in runs for Hampshire (5-2-1). Winning pitcher Adam Bell held the Spartans to 2 hits and 3 walks and struck out 2 in 5 innings.

DeKalb 5, Huntley 4: The Red Raiders outhit the visiting Barbs 10-9, but 3 errors led to 2 unearned runs in this nonconference loss. Brandon Altergott doubled, homered and drove in 3 runs, Brandon Duvall went 3-for-4 with a triple and Bobby Hecker doubled for Huntley (1-7). Noah Konie took the loss after allowing 5 runs (3 earned) on 8 hits in 4⅓ innings. He struck out 6 without a walk.

Crystal Lake South 2, Harlem 1: The Gators scored twice in the second inning on Dakota Siwula's RBI single and a steal of home plate by Matt Schingel. That's all the support Tyler Carlson needed. The left-hander tossed a 5-hitter, issuing a walk and striking out 6 in an 81-pitch, 7-inning performance.

Hoffman Estates 8, Dundee-Crown 7: The Chargers' 3-run rally in the top of the seventh ended with a strikeout with the tying run on third base. Offensive leaders included Danny Denz (3-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI), Brett Johnson (2-4, 2B, 2 R), Riley Alvarado (2-4, 2B, RBI) and Jim Welzien (2-4, 2 RBI). Matt Wiechmann absorbed the loss for Dundee-Crown (7-4). He was touched for 7 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits and struck out a pair with issuing a walk.