Streamwood bounces back to beat Larkin

Streamwood baseball coach Steve Diversey wanted sophomore pitcher Josh Harris to finish what he started on Friday.

Harris, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound left-hander, threw 5 shutout innings against visiting Larkin, and his Sabres built a 6-0 lead before the Royals touched him for a run in the sixth and two in the seventh.

Larkin brought the winning run to the plate with the bases loaded, two outs and no relievers warming up in the bullpen.

"He was where we needed him to be," Diversey said of Harris, who pitched for the Sabres in a playoff game as a freshman last season. "He didn't throw too many pitches, and I think it's good for a sophomore to learn and grow in that situation. We were gonna live or die with him."

Diversey's faith in his young hurler paid off when Harris used his slider to induce a game-clinching foul pop off the bat of Larkin No. 5 hitter Scott Harm, who hits right handed. First baseman Mike Diebold made the catch to close out a 6-3 Upstate Eight Conference victory, which gave Streamwood (2-4-2, 1-1) a split of the two-game series against the Royals (5-7, 1-1).

"I had thrown a lot of breaking balls, so I was getting a little tired," said Harris, who finished with 9 strikeouts and 3 walks. "I started throwing more first-pitch fastballs and they were hitting them hard. But I wanted to finish the game and get that last out."

Unlike Thursday's series opener, when the first four hitters in Streamwood's lineup combined to go 2-for-12 in a 3-1 loss at Larkin, the Sabres' first four hitters finished 6-for-10 with 3 walks, 4 RBI and 4 runs scored.

In the third inning Brian Brauer doubled home Ryan Kiesel for a 1-0 lead. Cleanup hitter Matt Korntved followed with a 2-run single off Harm to score Tim Cohen and Brauer.

The Sabres scored twice more in the fourth inning and tacked on a sixth run in the fifth against Larkin reliever Jake McCleary, courtesy of a Dylan Noncek groundout.

"I was very confident that we could still come back," Larkin coach Matt Esterino said. "We did the same thing against them on Thursday, when we trailed 1-0 most of the game until Scotty Harm doubled off the wall to lead off a good inning for us. I think this team is starting to get what it takes. They're figuring out what they have to do late in games to give us a chance to win."

The Larkin bats perked up in the sixth inning against Harris. Jon Meidel's single scored Justin Kalusa, who opened the inning with a single.

The momentum carried over to the seventh, when one-out walks to catcher Zach Fluhler and pinch-hitter Alex Wahl set the stage for a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Kalusa, a single by Reid Ellis and a second RBI single by Meidel that pulled the Royals within 6-3.

An error at shortstop on a groundball off the bat of Luc Geier loaded the bases for Harm, but Harris and the Sabres escaped via the foul pop.

Streamwood next plays a two-game series against East Aurora on Monday and Tuesday. Larkin will face crosstown rival Elgin. Esterino said Kalusa and Geier will likely be given starting nods against the rival Maroons.

South Elgin 10, East Aurora 0: The Storm rebounded from a disappointing loss to the Tomcats on Thursday by trouncing them in six innings in South Elgin on Friday.

Drew Buddle (1-2) threw a 2-hit shutout for South Elgin (4-5, 1-1), striking out 4 against 3 walks, and the Storm offense supported him with 16 hits. Hitting stars for the Storm included Kyle Kinyon (3-for-4, RBI, 2 runs), Buddle (2-for-4, 2B, 2 runs) and Charlie Sabo (3-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI). South Elgin's Ben Irving went 3-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI before leaving the game in the third inning due to injury.

South Elgin will face Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley in a pair of home-and-home UEC series next week.

Bartlett 11, Elgin 0: Devin Rowland (2-1) allowed only 1 hit, struck out eight and walked one in 4 innings of work, and the Hawks (7-3, 2-0) collected 9 hits in a 5-inning ballgame to sweep a 2-game set from the Maroons (0-5, 0-2).

The Bartlett attack was powered by Mike Mancuso (3-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Tommy Pfaender (2-for-3, RBI), Tucker Erickson (2B, RBI) and Erik Lira (2B, RBI).

Elgin next faces Larkin on Monday and Tuesday. Bartlett will play a 2-game series against Lake Park.