Cary-Grove nails down first FVC Valley title since 2010
It's not as if the Cary-Grove baseball program fell off the map after winning its last Fox Valley Conference Valley Division title in 2010.
Far from it. The Trojans averaged a respectable 22 wins over the last four seasons.
But respectable doesn't cut it in the highly competitive FVC Valley, one of the best baseball leagues in the state. Special does. And special is the best way to describe how the Trojans played down the stretch in winning their latest division crown.
On Saturday in Cary, they erased an early deficit against second-place Crystal Lake South with 7 unanswered runs to prevail 7-1, thereby clinching the outright FVC Valley title with 2 games to play.
"It hasn't been done in a while so it's nice that we got it," said Cary-Grove catcher Wyatt Mascarella, who doubled, walked twice and drove in 2 runs. "And we're going to keep rolling."
It was the 13th straight victory for Cary-Grove (21-6-2, 14-1), which completed the 2-game sweep of Crystal Lake South (21-7, 11-4). The Trojans haven't lost since a 6-5 setback against FVC Fox Division champion Prairie Ridge on April 15.
"We have a lot of seniors and they're very athletic, but that's not enough," Cary-Grove coach Don Sutherland said. "You have to have a focus and leadership, and we have those components, too, particularly in the spring with the seniors. They've had a great focus and leadership from several different guys. And the juniors contribute in different parts. When they get their opportunities, they make the most of it, too.
"So, yeah, it's developed into a real, real good team."
Cary-Grove left-hander Larkin Hanselmann improved to 8-1 by escaping three bases-loaded jams in the first five innings. The senior walked the bases loaded in the second before inducing an inning-ending line drive to center field off the bat of Cameron Geisser.
In the third inning, he issued another walk and two singles. He wiggled off the hook by notching consecutive strikeouts of CL South's Nos. 7 and 8 hitters.
Hanselmann loaded the bases in the fifth by issuing consecutive, two-out walks. However, he struck out pinch hitter John Smerecky with a curveball to get out of the jam.
The Gators left 15 men on base, 10 in scoring position.
"We had some opportunities to put some runs on the board and we just didn't," CL South coach Brian Bogda said. "The offense just wasn't there in key situations. They got guys in scoring position and put the ball in play and we just didn't."
Hanselmann allowed an unearned run on 4 hits, walked 6 and struck out 5 in 5 innings.
"I was kind of tough on myself," he said of the 6 walks. "I was missing up and I really couldn't bring it down, but the defense made some good plays behind me and I ended up striking them out with the bases loaded a couple of times."
The Gators - the home team on Cary-Grove's field due to a venue swap - took a 1-0 lead on Garrett Bright's run-scoring double in the bottom of the first.
The Trojans knotted the score on Zach Forney's second-inning single and they struck for 2 more in the third. Mascarella drew a bases-loaded walk from Ryan Wilkening (5-3) and Jimmy Perkins followed with an infield chop that went for a hit.
Wilkening allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits, walked 2 and struck out 3 in 6 innings. He was relieved by Tyler Carlson, who was touched for 4 runs (3 earned) in the seventh inning. Matt Sutherland singled to drive in a run and Tyer Pennington and Mascarella each doubled in runs to blow the game open.
"This was big for us," Mascarella said. "We wanted to sweep them and we had everybody doing it. We had our best guy pitching and our bench mob went crazy. We did everything right today."