Baseball: Lakes displays winning moves in conference opener
As he stood on second base after becoming the latest Lakes baseball player to double, a smiling Jason Volpe swung his arms and hips.
It was his attempt at imitating a popular video game dance.
"We talk about (doing the dance) for doubles," Volpe said.
He and his teammates got a lot of practice on Saturday at Grayslake North, where Lakes won the Northern Lake County Conference opener 16-6 in six innings. The Eagles pounded out 15 hits, including 4 doubles, on a day when the game-time temperature was 33 degrees. Sunny skies made the day tolerable.
"It wasn't too bad," Volpe, the Eagles' lefty-hitting catcher, said after going 3-for-3 with 2 walks and 2 RBI. "Once you start moving, you get warm. And once you start scoring runs, it's fun."
Lakes has been having a lot of fun this season and not just with its dancing on bases. After a good showing in Florida, where they won 4 of 6 games against quality competition, the Eagles (7-3) picked up where they left off against Grayslake North (3-5-1), which hadn't played in 10 days.
"I think we showed it at times," said coach Brett Hill, whose Knights played games in Florida over spring break too, in Orlando. "(Lakes) attacked the ball and then put a little pressure on us when we made mistakes."
A 5-run top of the third, highlighted by Matt Grubb's 3-run triple, put Lakes ahead 7-3. The Eagles then blew the game open with a 7-run fourth. The latter inning included 3 singles and the second double of the game by Michael Behrendt (3-for-3).
Volpe's RBI double in the sixth hiked the Lakes lead to 15-5.
Grayslake North used four pitchers, included lefty starter Eddie Erickson, who pitched 3 innings and suffered his first loss.
"That (fourth) inning got away from us," Hill said. "I just talked to the kids and asked them, 'What do you do when it gets bad? It's like the boxer mentality. When you're on your heels a little bit and wavering, instead of waiting for that knockout punch, you got to swing back and fight your way into it.'
"They'll get there."
Grayslake North had 9 hits, including a pair each by Jason Donohue and Matt Heery. Both of Heery's hits were line drives, including a 2-run double into the left-field corner off Lakes starter Joe Glassey that put the Knights up 3-2 in the second.
"(The weather) wasn't too bad," said Heery, who was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI. "I just wanted to swing early in the count."
Lakes got 2 hits apiece from Quinn McQuade (RBI single), Andrew Gaetano (RBI double) and Cameron May (run-scoring single). Logan Mueller, who like Volpe and Glassey, started on varsity as a sophomore last year, drove in a pair of runs.
"Everyone on the team is close," Volpe said. "It brings out the energy and just makes us pumped for every game."
"Last year was a good team too, and fun," said coach Bob Holst, whose 2017 Eagles won 18 games and a regional title in his first season. "These guys are having fun together, and they hold each other accountable."