Falcons don't have to share
Wheaton North is more than willing to endure that lonely feeling at the top.
A year after being part of a three-way share of the DuPage Valley Conference baseball title, the Falcons wrapped up their first outright DVC championship since 1980 with Wednesday's 11-7 cross-town win over visiting Wheaton Warrenville South.
"It was just one of those days where you have a good feeling from the get-go," said Falcons coach Dan Schoessling. "I'm just really proud to be the coach of these guys. It's something we had as goal No. 1, and I can't say enough about these seniors. These guys deserve it."
Wheaton North (24-4, 17-4) fell behind 3-0 after the Tigers' Jon O'Neil singled home 2 runs in the first. Mike Small's 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning sparked a Falcons rally that included RBI singles by Jeff Schalk and Sean Ford.
WW South (17-13, 11-10) added a run in the second inning but Wheaton North surged to a 7-4 lead on RBI doubles by Schalk and Justin Swider. Despite scoring 4 quick runs off Falcons starter and winning pitcher Mike Coduto (2-0), who recovered to pitch 6 solid innings, the Tigers couldn't keep Wheaton North's offense at bay.
"Offensively, I thought we did a pretty decent job," said Tigers coach Tim Brylka. "Obviously, you've got to keep them off the scoreboard. They took advantage of a few mistakes and made us pay. They can really hit the ball."
WW South's Taylor Rhoades, who went 4-for-4, came within a triple of hitting for the cycle after he launched a solo home run in the fifth inning. Wheaton North responded with 4 runs to claim an 11-5 lead, taking advantage of 3 fifth-inning errors by the Tigers.
Small singled in 2 runs in the frame to give him 4 RBI. Trey Martin added an RBI single.
WW South made it interesting in the seventh by scoring a pair of runs on O'Neil's run-scoring double and Ryan Conley's sacrifice fly. The Tigers loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate with two outs, but reliever Wade Cervenka got the final out to preserve the win.
With the outright title in hand, the Falcons can get down to the business of preparing for the playoffs. Wheaton North, which last year finished fourth in Class 4A, is the top seed in the St. Charles North sectional.
"Two of our goals were to win conference, and we did that, and now we've got state to come up," Small said. "So it's kind of nice to focus on that now."