Baseball: It's a winning picture for Warren
Robert Archbold saw the baseball well the whole game. So darkness and a dirty ball weren't going to obscure his vision at the plate.
The Warren senior right fielder pulled a two-out single into right field to score Brent Tunelius from second base and lift the host Blue Devils to a thrilling 9-8 come-from-behind win over Lake Forest in North Suburban Conference action Wednesday.
Call it a "delayed" walk-off win, as Archbold's single came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Because daylight was vanishing quickly, the umpires and both head coaches agreed before the half inning started that the game would be over if the Blue Devils scored.
When Archbold reached first base, he stood on the bag and didn't react jubilantly until the umpire officially declared Warren the winner. Archbold's teammate met him near the mound and mobbed him.
"It's really hard to see outside tonight, actually," Archbold said. "I was just trying to see a pitch right over the plate. I did, and I just took advantage of it."
The hit capped a 3-for-3 day for Archbold, who also singled in a run in the first, doubled and scored in the fourth and walked in the fifth.
"It just felt good today," Archbold said. "The swing felt good. Everything was on point."
Warren, which trailed 8-2 after three innings, improved to 7-4 and 2-2 in the NSC.
Archbold signed in November with the University of Illinois Springfield. The left-handed hitter had not gotten off to a great start at the plate this season.
"He struggled a little bit early in the season, and he's kept working and working," Warren coach Clint Smothers said. "I told him two weeks ago, 'Just play the game. Nobody's going to lose faith in you.' He's done that, and he's done a great job."
Lake Forest coach Ray Del Fava wasn't lamenting that his Scouts (2-5, 1-1) didn't get a chance to bat in the seventh. He used five pitchers, who combined to walk five batters and hit three - all over the final three innings.
"We didn't lose because of daylight," Del Fava said. "We lost because we didn't throw strikes."
Lake Forest jumped in front with 4 runs in the second, after RBI singles by Ricky Lee and Archbold staked Warren to a 2-0 lead in the first against Scouts righty Christian McCauley. Lake Forest got 2-run singles with two out by Caleb Durbin and Drew Golde in the second. Durbin (3-for-3, double, walk) added another two-out, 2-RBI single in the third, as the Scouts padded their lead to 8-2.
"(Lake Forest's) kids came out ready to play," Smothers said. "They came out swinging."
Cal Poremba's RBI single knocked out McCauley with two out in the fourth and capped a four-run frame for Warren. The Blue Devils pulled even in the fifth, as Matt Temaner (2 RBI) and Tanner Dyer (2 RBI) got hit by pitches back to back with the bases loaded.
"We had the momentum on our side," Del Fava said. "We have a very good defense, and when our pitchers don't throw strikes, it prevents us from playing to our strength."
Lake Forest, which didn't commit an error, got a diving catch in foul territory from right fielder Golde, who also triggered a 9-6 forceout at second base with the bases loaded.
In the Warren sixth, Victor Perez drew a one-out walk off Andrew Gough. Courtesy runner Tunelius stole second base and raced home on Archbold's single.
The teams play again Thursday at Lake Forest and face each other again at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Warren.
"This is a good team we're playing," Archbold said. "We're going to come out (Thursday) and try to beat them. They'll probably have some good wings (arms)."