Barrington continues flair for the dramatic
Barrington has started its baseball season in perfectly dramatic fashion.
The Broncos made it 3-for-3 in 1-run games as they came back for a 7-6 nonconference victory Wednesday at Oak Park-River Forest.
"It's better than 0-3," laughed Barrington coach Jim Hawrysko, whose team was 3-4 in 1-run games last year. "So far we've done a good job of coming back and winning the 1-run games and staying strong in the late innings."
Tom Unak (2-0) came in with Oak Park leading 5-3 in the bottom of the fourth. Unak didn't allow a run the last 3 innings and had 7 strikeouts and no walks.
"He really came in and did a great job of keeping people off-balance," Hawrysko said. "The key for him was he was really ahead of the hitters. He was 1-2 and 0-2 a lot and good arm action really helped him."
Unak (3-for-4) also delivered the game-winning hit in the top of the seventh with a single up the middle to score Gus Handler. Chris Holke reached on an error to tie the game.
Unak pitched a perfect seventh with a strikeout and outstanding plays from shortstop Tim Conroy on a looper in short left field and Holke at third on a shot he knocked down while guarding the line.
Jack Golek was 3-for-4, Conroy went 2-for-4 and Russ Zeisloft drove in 2 runs.
Elk Grove 7, St. Viator 2: So much for advance preparation.
Elk Grove players started getting calls around 11 a.m. Wednesday it would open its season a couple of hours later at St. Viator.
"They didn't even know we were playing today," said Elk Grove coach Terry Beyna. "So they got a nice little wakeup call."
And the Grenadiers were ready for it as Matt Martinski and Chris D'Angelo combined for big days on the mound and at the plate in a 7-2 nonconference victory.
Martinski allowed 2 hits and no earned runs with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk in 3½ innings for the victory. The junior went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the second and a 2-run double in the fifth.
D'Angelo came in with the bases loaded and a 3-2 lead in the fourth and snagged a line drive to start a double play. D'Angelo allowed only 1 hit with no walks and 2 strikeouts and went 3-for-3 with 2 doubles.
Kevin Miller went 3-for-4 with 1 of 6 doubles by the Grens and Donny Duschinsky went 2-for-4 in a 13-hit attack. Jack Meyer had a 2-run triple for Viator.
Viator (1-1) came back to beat Palatine 7-6 by scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on a passed ball. Eric Walantas had an RBI single and the Lions scored 5 first-inning runs with 2 outs.
Palatine (1-3) also lost 6-5 to Willowbrook as Matt Wieber doubled.
Prospect 12, Lake Park 11: A wild nonconference game saw Prospect (1-1) blow a 6-run lead but overcome 2-run deficits in the final 2 innings for the victory.
Lake Park scored 3 runs in the top of the seventh to take an 11-9 lead. Griffin Rebecca's single, Matt Smith's walk and John Coen's bunt single loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh for Prospect.
Miles Osei, who had a 2-run triple in a 5-run second, beat out a swinging bunt to make it 11-10. Jason Leblebijian reached on an error to tie the game.
Tim Scanlan then hit a shot back to the pitcher, who got the force at the plate but an error on the throw to first gave the Knights the victory.
Lake Park wiped out a 6-0 deficit with a 7-run fourth. Andrew Cardona's 3-run double in the sixth put Prospect up 9-8.
Scanlan went 2-for-4 and got the final 2 outs in the seventh for the victory.
Fremd 6, St. Charles E. 2: Mike Schoolcraft, Clynt Terry and Jason Ford combinedto allow 5 hits as Fremd won its opener at St. Charles East.
Schoolcraft pitched 3 scoreless innings for the victory. He allowed 3 hits, 3 walks and 3 strikeouts.
"He was very composed out there," said Fremd coach Chris Piggott.
No. 8 hitter Joey DePaolis went 3-for-4 to lead an 8-hit attack. Nick Addison was 2-for-3 with a bases-loaded triple in the second, Mike Tauchman went 2-for-4 and Todd Dunham had a single.