Finally getting a chance to play, Hornets sting Warriors
They weathered pushed-back starting times, postponements and site switches, but Willowbrook and Hinsdale South finally began their baseball series on Wednesday.
The Hornets came ready to play, rolling to an 11-5 West Suburban Gold opening-game victory over Willowbrook in Villa Park.
Striking for 6 runs in the bottom of the first inning -- all with two outs -- Hinsdale South (1-1, 1-0) set the tone. Alex Perez got things rolling with a 2-run single.
Connor Schomig and Danny Miller added RBI singles. John Balzano also drove in 2 runs.
"I just came up and saw the opportunity," said Perez, who went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI. "It felt great. Everyone came out with intensity and came through."
Willowbrook (3-2, 0-1) tried chipping away, but Hinsdale South kept answering. After the Hornets added an unearned run in the second, losing pitcher Andy Bejlovec (2-1) and Chris Savas each had RBI singles in a 3-run third inning to briefly narrow Willowbrook's gap to 7-3.
Scoring 4 runs in the final three innings, however, the Hornets never allowed Willowbrook to move too close on the scoreboard.
"You give 6 runs to a good baseball team, it's tough to come back," said Warriors coach Steve Gilliam. "But we battled back. We fought every inning. They just beat us in all phases of the game."
Nick Cuzzone had a fifth-inning sacrifice fly and Andy Wilhoit singled home a seventh-inning run for the Warriors. After a 2-run fourth inning, Hinsdale South kept its distance with Connor Duckhorn's fifth-inning sacrifice fly and Schomig's solo home run in the sixth inning.
Miller, Gary Mayberry, Carl Fiebig, Perez and Schomig had 2 hits apiece for the Hornets, while Ryan Zenger, Joe Begel and Nick Bryant combined on the mound.
The trio of pitchers scattered 7 hits and struck out 11, setting the stage for Saturday's key Gold doubleheader at Leyden in a showdown between preseason conference favorites.
After seeing limited work on Wednesday, Zenger and Begel are slated to start on Saturday.
"We came out swinging the bats a lot better today. They're doing a great job of staying focused," said Hornets coach Kraig Conyer. "The kids were excited and getting after it."