Naperville Central's Conlon lights it up
The last time Shane Conlon pitched at Lisle's Benedictine University, he struck out 10 in leading St. Rita to the IHSBCA Phil Lawler Summer Classic state championship in July.
The only thing that's changed since then is the uniform.
Pitching for Naperville Central, Conlon made his triumphant return to Benedictine by striking out 14 batters as the Redhawks rallied for a 5-1 DuPage Valley Conference win over Wheaton Warrenville South Tuesday night.
Naperville Central (14-1, 5-0) - the last remaining DVC unbeaten - trailed 1-0 in the top of the first but Conlon (3-0) kept the Tigers (10-7, 3-2) right there.
The Redhawks tied it in the bottom of the fourth before exploding for 4 runs in the sixth. Conlon, who scattered 5 hits, a walk and two hit batters to start the game, surrounded a seventh-inning walk and an error with three strikeouts to end the game.
"I like the mound here a lot, and it's an awesome field," Conlon said. "Under the lights it's a great place to play.
"I had a shaky, rough first inning," he said. "After I hit those two guys and they got the run, I just wanted to bear down and not let them score again so we could get a run ourselves."
Parker Ryndak's RBI single spotted the Tigers to the 1-0 lead in the first inning, and WW South starter Jason Schuman (3-2) did a nice job with the lead. The junior struck out seven and walked none, keeping the 1-0 advantage until Marc Mantucca's sacrifice fly tied it for the Redhawks in the fourth inning.
As the case has been throughout the season, Naperville Central seized command with a big inning. This time it came in the sixth after Matt Soria and pinch-hitter Sammy Wandolowski led off with singles.
Passed balls, wild pitches, an error and Mantucca's RBI double opened the door for a 4-run inning as the Redhawks pulled ahead 5-1.
"You hang around and then all of a sudden they explode," said WW South coach Tim Brylka. "I just would have liked to have seen us minimize that inning a little bit. They smell blood and they go after you."
The three-game series concludes today in Wheaton as the Redhawks go for the sweep. After scoring 6 runs in the sixth inning of Monday's game and 4 runs in the sixth on Tuesday, Naperville Central will no doubt be waiting for another inning to feast on today.
"One thing we have is that it can start anywhere," said Redhawks coach Bill Seiple. "That's been the pattern. It doesn't have to start with two-three-four. It can be anywhere. We've been fortunate, but teams can't make a mistake against us."