Kaneland capitalizes on Marmion's mistakes
For all the things shortstop Joe Panico does to help Kaneland win games, hitting home runs is not what the Knights typically expect.
Friday against Marmion, though, was anything but a typical game.
With the wind howling out, Edgar Sanchez smashed a 3-run home run as part of the Cadets' 4-run third inning for an early 5-1 Marmion lead.
Kaneland had quite the answer in the bottom of the third, a 9-run outburst to take control. Panico smashed a 2-run double to cap that inning, then launched the first home run of his varsity career in the fifth to put the final touches on Kaneland's 12-5 victory.
Panico fouled off a pitch before taking a 2-1 fastball out of the park.
"I got ahold of it I guess," Panico said. "I'm a get-on type of guy."
Kaneland's big third inning started with an infield error. Joe Laudont lined a single to score the first run.
Marmion (3-6) had a chance to get out of the inning with the lead only to watch seven straight Kaneland batters reach base with 2 outs. Four of them hit their way on, one was hit by a pitch and 2 reached on errors.
"They helped us out, we took advantage of some mistakes and we kept putting the ball in play," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. "Tried to make solid contact on a day like today."
Matt Rosko, who drove in Kaneland's first run in the second inning, tied the game at 5-5 when he beat out an infield single.
The Knights (4-4) took the lead for good on a throwing error, a wild pitch brought in another run, and Panico's double down the left-field line scored 2 to make it 9-5 and chase Marmion starter Jake Esp.
Laudont drilled his second RBI single of the inning off Esp. All 10 of the runs Esp allowed in his 2 2/3 innings were unearned.
"He was behind in the count," Marmion coach Dave Rakow said. "When the wind is howling out like it is you don't want to make it easier for the hitters. He was having trouble locating his pitches. Give Kaneland credit they took advantage."
Kaneland starter Ryan David, who Aversa nearly pulled while the Cadets were building their 5-1 lead, settled down and faced the minimum 9 hitters in the fourth through sixth innings.
David struck out five and walked two while improving to 2-0.
"Ryan pitched a heck of a game and we got into their bullpen early and when you do that good things will happen," Aversa said.
Jordan Bock came in for a scoreless seventh with River Dunne taking away an RBI single by Will Matthews by ranging far to his right to end the game.
"We didn't think we were out of it," Panico said. "We knew we had to come back and do our job an we did."
Matt Henkel had a pair of doubles and Colten Renier also had 2 hits for Marmion.
"I'm trying to digest it still. I'm going to have to sleep on this one to really get a grip on what happened," Rakow said of his team's 7 errors.
"That's about as frustrated as I've been in 8 years of coaching Marmion. The wind caused a couple of them but a couple were just routine ground balls. Some of our guys have to look in the mirror and make the adjustments they need to make."