Vanderwall pitches Lakes into Prairie lead
Travis Vanderwall pitched a complete-game 2-hitter, as Lakes' baseball team took over sole possession of first place in the North Suburban Prairie with a 4-0 win over visiting Grant on Wednesday.
The victory hiked Lakes' record to 18-9 overall and 7-2 in the division, a game better than Grant (6-3).
Vanderwall (5-1) struck out seven, didn't walk a batter and allowed just 1 runner to advance into scoring position.
Offensively, the Eagles managed just 4 hits off Grant starter Justin Cokefair, but two were RBI doubles off the bats of Wills Massie and Mark Ortman in a 3-run fifth.
Cokefair did not allow an earned run. Offensively for Grant, Kyle Hunter had a double.
Stevenson 9, Lake Zurich 2: Jeff Ferstein went 4-for-4, Teddy Heiser was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI, and Erick King homered for the visiting Patriots in the North Suburban Lake game.
Stevenson (24-2, 8-1) also got a pair of hits from Alex Daar (2 runs). Daar and Kory Cutler doubled.
Tyler Radtke improved to 6-0, pitching 4 innings of 1-hit ball (1 run, unearned). Blake Fiedelman tossed the final 3 innings for the save.
Lake Zurich (15-14, 3-6) led 1-0 after one before Stevenson pulled even in the second and went for good with a pair of runs in the third.
"I was pleased with the way our kids came out to play," Bears coach Gary Simon said. "(Starting pitcher Ben) Gullo pitched well through four innings. We couldn't give Ben any run support. Stevenson is a top-notch club. They made big plays in the field, put the bat on the ball with runners in scoring position, and Radtke and Fiedelman threw well."
Grayslake North 4, Crystal Lake Central 3: Sean Brennan's go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the sixth highlighted a 3-run inning, as the Knights rallied for the Fox Valley Conference win.
Winning pitcher Ed Tatera tied the game with a single in the sixth. Tom Elias struck out the only batter he faced for the save, helping Grayslake North improve to 8-21 and 7-11 in the FVC.
Tatera and Brandon Fern each went 2-for-3 with a double for the Knights.
Vernon Hills 10, North Chicago 0: Scott Kempel and Smith Donelson combined on a 2-hit shutout in the North Suburban Prairie finale for the Cougars.
Jerami Cruzado, Chris Argianas, Cesar Gallegos and Steve Nelson each had hits and drove in runs for Vernon Hills (9-3 NSC Prairie). Chris Marras doubled and tripled. Argianas (double) and Zach Kisley (triple) also had extra-base hits.
Grayslake Central 5, Woodstock 1: Kevin DeRue allowed 1 run over 5 innings, as the host Rams won their 20th game of the season.
DeRue fanned six in picking up his fourth win. Juniors Austin Leggett and Mark Gawinski each tossed a scoreless inning.
Offensively, Mike Gentile had a double and single, and Austin Miller doubled as well for Grayslake Central (20-6, 14-4 Fox Valley).
Warren 5, Lake Forest 0: Jeff Johnson was 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI, and Tim Bodine went 2-for-3, as the host Blue Devils kept pace with Stevenson atop the North Suburban Lake standings.
Warren (25-4, 8-1) also received a double and an RBI from Mike Herrmann.
Zach Schneider (8-1) scattered 4 hits - all singles - over 7 innings. He struck out seven and walked two.
Lake Forest fell to 2-7 in the NSC Lake.
Notre Dame 9, Carmel 4: Paul Poirier homered for the Corsairs in the East Suburban Catholic Conference game.
Alex May doubled for Carmel (20-8, 11-3).