Rams pull away late
Grayslake North and visiting Grayslake Central battled right up until the top of the seventh inning.
The Rams' good offensive day then got a little better.
They scored 7 runs to win 14-5 in a Fox Valley Conference Fox Division baseball game Wednesday.
The two teams were tied 4-4 until the bottom of the fifth when North's Brandon Schroth singled in Vinnie Licciardello to give the Knights a 1-run lead.
But in the top of the seventh, the Rams broke the game open by sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring on only 3 hits. They took advantage of 6 walks and 3 errors.
Josh DeAngelis drove in 2 runs on a single and ended up on third base on an errant throw. Jackson White hit a 2-run double and Angelo Gargano slammed a 2-run double to highlight the inning.
Gargano, who went 3-for-4, gave Central a 3-0 lead by crushing a 3-run homer well over the 380 fence in center field.
"It was the first pitch and I put a pretty good swing on it," Gargano said.
Grayslake Central improved to 18-13 overall and 6-7 in the FVC Fox.
"Angelo has been our rock all year," said Grayslake Central assistant coach Ryan Feeney, who was filling in for head coach Troy Whalen. "I would be surprised if anybody in the county has more runs batted in than Angelo. I think he almost has 40 right now. He's been hitting in every game, he is our leader at the plate and, boy, that one he hit, I'm not sure it landed yet."
Kevin DeRue started for the Rams on mound and pitched 52/3 innings. He allowed 5 runs on 4 hits and struck out five, including the side in the first.
Matt Murphy came in to pitch the final 21/3 innings to shut the door on the Knights and earn his fourth save.
"Matt Murphy has been as solid as they come out of the bullpen," Feeney said. "He's having a tremendous year and he is someone for us to lean on going into the playoffs."
Schroth and Licciardello each had 2 hits for the Knights.
North coach Andy Strahan was disappointed with the way his team let its lead slip away.
"Grayslake Central is a good baseball team and their kids battled," said Strahan, whose Knights fell to 9-21. "Our wheels came off at the end we didn't have anybody at the end to keep us in the ballgame. We don't make plays when we need to make plays."