Toasty MSL East debut for Camacho, Elk Grove

Christian Camacho has heated up on the mound, and Elk Grove's baseball team seems to have warmed nicely right alongside him.

After a disappointing first start in which he lasted 4 innings, Camacho has been dominant. And he was that again on Monday, handcuffing host Rolling Meadows in a 9-0 victory in the MSL East opener for both teams.

"He has pitched extremely well," said Elk Grove coach Terry Beyna, whose team is now 7-3. "It is good to get early runs. It gives him comfort. He attacked the strike zone and worked fast."

Camacho, who threw just 68 pitches with 47 of them strikes, was very efficient, especially early in the game. The junior fanned 7 of the first 10 batters he faced. He finished with 9 strikeouts while allowing just 2 hits in 6 innings.

"I was just pounding the strike zone," said Camacho, who improved to 4-1. "I knew if I threw strikes, my defense would make plays. It was a big weight off my shoulders to get those 2 runs to start the game. It just gave me a lot more confidence."

Elk Grove struck for 2 quick runs before Camacho even took the mound. After Matt Wary singled to start the game, Camacho followed with a hit of his own. The duo came home to score on Brandon Post's long double to center.

"It just felt good today," said Post, who had 2 hits. "We have been on a good streak and the team has been hitting well."

But nobody on Elk Grove may be hotter than Austin Shallcross. Sidelined for the first part of the season with an injury to his right elbow, Shallcross returned to the lineup last Saturday. He followed a 2-for-3 game then with a 3-for-3 performance on Monday with 2 RBI.

"I am happy to get back in the lineup, said Shallcross, who tripled and doubled for two of his hits. "It is great to face some pitching. I have just been putting some good swings on it."

Shallcross' triple in the second scored Taylor OConnor, who had walked with two out, to give the Grens a 3-0 lead.

It stayed that way until the sixth, when Elk Grove broke the game open with 3 extra-base hits and 4 runs.

Chuck Fleming opened the inning with a double and Jack McEnroe followed with a double of his own. After a ground out, Shallcross bombed a double of his own. The Grens then took advantage of a pair of Rollin Meadows' errors to score the final 2 runs of the inning.

Elk Grove added 2 more runs in the seventh. Wary had his second hit of the day to drive home Joe Lorenz, who had singled. Camacho also had his second hit and drove in Fleming.

Rolling Meadows (2-7, 0-1) threatened to break through in the bottom of the seventh, when the Mustangs got a pair of walks. But Michael Parisi, who came on for Camacho to start the inning, struck out the final three batters to preserve the shutout.

"They came out and took it to us right from the first pitch on," Rolling Meadows coach Jim Lindeman said. "But the one thing about baseball is that you get to come back tomorrow and do it again. We get them again on Wednesday and we have to play and go hard."