Baseball: Benet wins pitchers' duel against Waubonsie Valley
Quinn Moriarty trusted his defense, his catcher and - most importantly - his pitching while guiding Benet's baseball team to its first victory of the season.
The senior pitched a 4-hitter with 4 strikeouts and no walks as the Redwings edged Waubonsie Valley 1-0 Thursday in Lisle.
It was a much-needed effort for the Redwings (1-4) after surrendering 9 walks and 2 hit batters the day before. Moriarty was extremely efficient in a 71-pitch complete game, outdueling the Warriors' Zach Laws, who needed only 66 pitches in 6 equally strong innings.
"I felt confident in myself and my defense," Moriarty said. "I knew I had eight guys behind me and a gem of a catcher. It was an all-around good game. We didn't start out so hot this week, but this was a great day for us."
Benet scored the game's lone run in the bottom of the first in what could have been a huge inning. The Redwings had 4 hits but two runners were thrown out at the plate. Mike Wymer scored on a wild pitch, and then Moriarty and Laws dominated the rest of the way.
Laws scattered 7 hits while also striking out four. Only two Benet players reached second base after the first inning.
"Both pitchers were able to control the strike zone and get ahead of hitters," said Waubonsie Valley coach Bryan Acevedo. "We were able to square up a few baseballs, but we weren't able to find holes. That's the game sometimes."
Moriarty retired 10 straight to start the game. He faced his toughest spot in the sixth when Waubonsie Valley put runners on first and third with no outs. Cole Gregorio flew out to right field and the runner at third was tagged out at home for a double play when Benet's Aaron Staehely threw a perfect strike to catcher Brandon Gorz.
The lead preserved, Moriarty ended the game by setting down the Warriors in order in the seventh.
"Quinn did an outstanding job of just taking us on his back and saying, 'It's my day, I'm a senior and I'm going to show you how to do it,'" said Benet coach Scott Lawler. "It was fun to see that kind of game. It was a great pitchers' duel."
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