Baseball: Naperville North's McCabe shuts down Batavia
Mark McCabe was nearly unhittable in Naperville North's 1-0 victory over Batavia at Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream Thursday morning.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound left-hander committed to Illinois-Chicago pitched a 1-hitter by locating his fastball and mixing in curves and change-ups. He issued a lone walk and struck out 10, and Jack Whitley drove in the only run in the bottom of the sixth as the Huskies improved to 4-1.
It took McCabe only 91 pitches to run his record to 2-0 with the win over Batavia (2-2). In a 14-0 victory over Bolingbrook on March 20, the senior threw 5 shutout innings, struck out 12 and walked 3.
"It felt like I was getting stronger each inning I went back out," said McCabe, who struck out the side in the sixth. "That's something I like to do as the season goes along, so I definitely felt stronger compared to my first start this year."
Batavia sophomore Drew Iutzwig battled McCabe toe to toe for four innings. The right-hander gave way in the fifth to junior righty Dylan Schick, who inherited two base runners with no outs. Schick escaped trouble. He induced a groundout to first base, struck out a pinch hitter and ended the threat with a slow roller fielded by charging shortstop Jared Martin.
The difference was Whitley's basehit. One day after he pitched a 5-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Oswego East, he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth with one out after Jared Dunnett singled to center field.
Dunnett stole second base. Whitley got ahead in the count 2-1 against Schick and likewise singled up the middle. Dunnett scored standing up.
"I was just thinking up the middle or opposite field," Whitley said. "Don't try to pull anything."
It was the second day in a row the Huskies scored in the bottom of the sixth of a 1-0 victory.
"It's awesome to know that our defense is putting up zero runs two games in a row and just a key hit will do it," Whitley added.
The Bulldogs didn't go quietly in the seventh. They broke up McCabe's no-hit bid with one out. No. 3 hitter Cole Nelson, a left-handed batter with speed, grounded deep in the hole at shortstop and easily beat the throw for a single.
"Nothing you could do there," McCabe said. "Slow ground ball. The guy was just fast."
McCabe struck out the next hitter for the second out, but Nelson stole second. Batavia's Blake Carlson then barreled the ball harder than any Bulldog all day, but his opposite-field line drive was hit right at Naperville North right fielder Cliff Vickers. He squeezed it for the final out.
There were plenty of positives for Batavia. Iutzwig threw 4 shutout innings with 4 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Schick allowed a lone run on 2 hits in 2 innings. Catcher Carter Gette threw out two men trying to steal second in the fourth inning. Sophomore center fielder Brad Niedzwiedz made a nice running catch and doubled off a runner at second.
However, the offense was held in check by McCabe.
"Real proud of our effort defensively and Lutzwig going out and throwing the way he did in his varsity debut as a sophomore," Batavia coach Alex Beckman said. "He did a real great job for us and Schick came in and competed. So, pitching and defensively we played outstanding. Hats off to McCabe. We couldn't get the timely hit against him. He's going where he's going for a reason."