Wrap: Williams back on track, C-G off to hot start

Following an unsatisfying 2007 season in which the Cary-Grove baseball team finished 13-17-2 and committed more errors than a jittery 16-year-old taking a driver's license road test in a thunderstorm, the Trojans entered the season unranked in the Daily Herald Top 20.

But a 9-0 start that included wins over then-No. 4 Lake Zurich, a 3-0 shutout of No. 7 Stevenson and a 1-run victory against No. 11 Conant vaulted the Trojans to No. 7 in the updated Top 20 released this week.

The Trojans have bounced back to the form they showed in making their charge to the Class AA Sweet 16 in 2006.

Cary-Grove is winning with improved defense, dependable starting pitching, a nice mix of seniors, juniors and sophomore Chris Waylock at shortstop and an offense propelled recently by the red-hot bat of senior second baseman Kyle Williams.

Williams started as sophomore on the 2006 team that lost to Rockford Boylan 2-1 in a supersectional at NIU, but in 27 games as a junior his average slipped to .239 with 5 doubles and a home run. He even lost his starting job at one point.

However, Williams nearly matched his 2007 extra-base-hit totals in one game against Antioch last Saturday, when he went 5-for-5 with 4 doubles and a home run.

He followed up Monday with another 5-for-5 performance in a 12-11 comeback win over Fremd, a game the Trojans once trailed 8-2.

Williams spearheaded that comeback by launching a grand slam. Later, after Cary-Grove had tied the game 8-8 only to fall behind 11-8 in the top of the seventh, Williams cracked a walk-off 3-run homer to keep the Trojans undefeated.

For the season Williams is hitting .459 with 6 doubles, 3 home runs and 15 RBI.

"He really committed himself in the off-season to the team and got other kids to work out," Cary-Grove coach Don Sutherland said of Williams. "There are no guarantees in baseball, unfortunately, so when someone works that hard you hope that it works out for them and you see some dividends being paid back. Well, they are this year for him in particular."

The pitching staff has been a big part of the Trojans' success. Through the nonconference portion of the schedule, Sutherland used a rotation of five pitchers with the intention of finding three top starters to pitch the Valley Division season, which was scheduled to begin this week.

Those decisions won't be easy considering how well the five pitchers have performed. Senior Ben Mottashed is 3-0 with an ERA of 0.82 in 17 innings with 15 strikeouts and just 4 walks. Junior Matt Nelsen is 3-0 with a 2.02 ERA in 17 innings with 13 strikeouts and 2 walks. Senior Tyler Herman is 1-0 with 18 strikeouts and 5 walks in 13 innings. Junior Corey Bruns is 2-0 with 2 saves and a 1.40 ERA, and left-handed junior Sean Kaveney is 2-0 with an ERA of 3.27.

Forecast Storm-y:ŒNo area baseball team has played less often than South Elgin, which set foot on its home field Monday for the first time this season, game or practice.

The Storm (1-2) dropped that game 6-1 against Waubonsie Valley, but it was Waubonsie's eighth game of the season.

"Having those other games to see what you have and be able to get some timing down out on the fields makes it a lot easier," South Elgin coach Jim Kating said.

South Elgin's only previous outing had been a 6-0 victory at East Aurora last Friday behind the pitching of senior Pete Scaffidi. But the Storm couldn't escape the weather in that game either. It was called after 6 innings due to a sideways rain.

Due to bad weather and poor field conditions, South Elgin has been forced to cancel 10 games already, including eight nonconference games.

Well staffed:ŒBurlington Central's record stood at 3-5 through Tuesday.

The Rockets have been playing good defense for the most part and their hitting has been decent (6.5 runs per game), but success for Central is inescapably tied to the success of its pitching staff.

"If we pitch we'll be in every game," Central coach Kyle Nelson said. "Everyone can say that, but it's especially true for us. We've had some outings where we've walked an absurd amount of batters and we're not in those games. That's pretty much what it boils down to."

In 3 of the Rocket's 5 losses, they have allowed 9, 11 and 13 runs, respectively.

Strike 10? Streamwood's Bobby Trimarco is a seldom-used, reserve catcher on the baseball team who plays mostly in JV games. But when it comes to bowling, Trimarco takes a back seat to nobody.

Streamwood started a club bowling team this year in hopes of adding boys bowling next year to the list of sports the school offers.

Trimarco, a junior, will be a key component in the success of such a team. This year he averaged 220 in tournaments, a bit above the 202 he usually averages in league play.

His high water mark came in February, when he rolled a 289 game at the Brunswick Zone in Roselle. He knocked down 10 strikes in a row at one point.

So, what's his favorite sport, baseball or bowling?

"I do love baseball," Trimarco said. "My role is to be a good team member, that's why I'm on the team. But I like bowling a little better."