Mitchell takes it to the limit for Wheaton Academy
The new pitch-count rule might have prevented Kellan Mitchell's complete game, but it didn't prevent Wheaton Academy's victory.
With Mitchell having to leave Monday's baseball game with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, reliever Jake Koslosky got the final out to preserve the Warriors' 4-3 Metro Suburban Conference victory over IC Catholic Prep in West Chicago.
Mitchell reached his 105-pitch limit on the second out of the inning but, with runners on second and third, Koslosky cleanly fielded a comebacker in the driving rain to end the game.
"I just tried to block out (the pitch count) and get every batter I could," Mitchell said. "I knew Jake was coming in after me, and we'd have a good pitcher out there. I knew he'd get the save."
An odd steal of home by Austin Reed - he ran home when the batter mistakenly started toward first because he thought ball three was a walk - led to Matt Sutton's 2-run single to give IC Catholic (5-8, 1-2) a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning.
Knights starter Brendan Russ retired six straight batters to end the fourth and fifth inning, but Wheaton Academy (2-5, 1-2) broke through in the sixth. Mitchell's walk with the bases loaded brought in a run, and then an error and Jimmy Paganis' sacrifice fly made it 4-3.
IC Catholic stranded eight runners and had another four cut down on the basepaths.
"We've been settling run-wise and haven't been able to get over the hump," said Knights coach Frank DeAngelis. "We've got to give our pitchers more room to work with and find a way to score more runs."
Mitchell led off the bottom of the second with a walk, and courtesy runner Christian Kinney moved to third on Peter Crowe's double. Kinney scored on Sam Mennella's sacrifice fly to give Wheaton Academy a 1-0 lead.
Payton Sowa went 2-for-3 for the Warriors while Reid reached base four times for IC Catholic. Mitchell and the Knights' C.J. West reached base three times.
"We've had four games where we were winning or tied going into the sixth inning, so this was a big turning point for us," said Wheaton Academy coach Brad Byrne. "We only had one senior out there, so we're excited. The future looks good for us."
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