WW South getting some practice rallying
It's been fun for a couple of days, but Wheaton Warrenville South's baseball team doesn't want to make a habit of this.
Rallying from a big deficit for the second time this week, the Tigers pulled out a 10-7 nonconference win over visiting Downers Grove North.
Just like in Tuesday's victory over Hinsdale South, WW South (2-0) fell behind 5-0 to the Trojans (0-1). Downers North starter Nick Goergen was perfect through four innings before Steve Lemm broke through for an infield single to lead off the bottom of the fifth. Twelve batters later, the Tigers turned a 5-0 deficit into a 9-5 lead.
"Their pitcher was in a real good rhythm the first four innings, and after that first infield hit we just kept peppering away," said Tigers first baseman Mike Heaton, who had 2 singles and 2 RBI in the fifth. "It was definitely a huge inning for us. Getting that one guy on base really sparked us."
R.J. Hoshell and Heaton followed Lemm with hits as Heaton drove in the Tigers' first run. A couple of errors and RBI from Kyle Snow, Joey Tedeschi and Jeremy Rhoades helped pile on the runs.
Downers North played clean ball while retiring the first 12 WW South batters of the game but then lost some of its focus as the Tigers rallied.
"We saw some good things, I think we swung the bats well," said Trojans coach Chad Isaacson. "Obviously, that one inning kind of unraveled on us, and we've got to be able to catch the baseball. When something opens up the inning you've got to be able to minimize the damage."
After WW South went ahead 10-5 in the sixth inning, Downers North added a couple of seventh-inning runs.
The Trojans took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on back-to-back RBI doubles by John Galligan and Eric Jagielo. Downers North added a pair of runs in the third inning and moved ahead 5-0 in the top of the fifth on Alex Yeager's RBI single.
Jagielo went 3-for-3 for the Trojans while Galligan, Yeager and Cory Teicher had 2 hits apiece. Hoshell and Heaton each had 2 hits for the Tigers.
Jason Schuman pitched 5 innings to earn the win for WW South. Tom Henning closed it out with 2 innings of relief.
"It looked like we might get no-hit, but we were saying, 'Let's just get a guy on and see what happens,' " said Tigers coach Tim Brylka. "When we finally got that first hit, I think everyone just relaxed a little bit."
Montini 5, Lyons Twp. 2: Kurt Gitchell's 3-run homer in the top of the sixth inning powered the Broncos (3-0) to the nonconference win. Anthony Reaber (1-0) won on the mound.