Manske, St. Charles East handle Palatine
In a sport that kids miss games for their travel teams, jobs, other sports, vacations - all kinds of legitimate reasons - Kyle Manske is giving St. Charles East's Dave Haskins the kind of dedication that makes other summer baseball coaches envious.
Playing in a travel tournament outside Atlanta Sunday night, Manske road home through the night and arrived at St. Charles East High School Monday morning 15 minutes before the Saints bus left for North Central College and the state summer tournament, the Phil Lawler Summer Classic.
Haskins and the rest of the Saints were glad to see the junior southpaw, who pitched 5 innings of 1-run ball while providing the big blow offensively in St. Charles East's 5-1 victory over Palatine.
Manske didn't have long to enjoy the win - he had to catch a plane and rejoin his Schaumburg Seminole teammates in Georgia.
"Coach told me last week that he was going to give me the ball first game at state and I was totally honored," Manske said. "I talked to my parents and we made a way to make it work."
Manske (7-0) didn't have his best stuff Monday, relying mostly on his fastball. He allowed 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out five.
Haskins removed Manske for Johnny Hondlik after Kurt Becker's leadoff double in the sixth. Becker eventually scored Palatine's only run before Hondlik closed the game with a perfect seventh inning.
"He (Manske) showed he is a competitor," Haskins said. "He struggled in the beginning with his breaking ball but overall I'm very pleased with his competitiveness and how he showed leadership out there."
St. Charles East grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. Leadoff hitter Ryan Shaffrey, who went 2-for-2 and is now 8-for-12 in his last four games, singled and scored on two-out opposite field single by cleanup hitter Tony Rallo.
Manske made it a 3-0 game in the fourth, helping himself by ripping a 2-out, 2-run double to the right field gap. Rallo had singled to start the rally and Stephen Osland was hit by a pitch.
That was one of three Saints who reached on hit batters, bringing their total to 12 in the last three games. "Wearing pitches" is an emphasis for Haskins, and it brought Palatine coach Paul Belo out of the dugout to argue twice.
"We were aware but we are going to throw inside because we have to establish the inner third of the plate," Belo said. "If played by the rule and there's an honest effort to avert the pitch then we're OK. I felt like it was my job to challenge those questionable calls."
Saints catcher Jake Sheley reached via hit batter to start a 2-run seventh. Jordan Hayes drove in one run with a double and Luke Rojas the other with a single. Rojas also made life easier on the Saints pitchers with a couple plays at shortstop, including a 6-3 double play in the sixth - the third straight inning St. Charles East turned two.
The Saints finished with 10 hits against Palatine starter Alex Miramontes, two each by Shaffrey, Hayes and Rallo.
"We stroked the ball well today," Haskins said. "We hit balls to both sides."
The loss dropped Palatine to 21-6, then the Pirates lost 6-3 to Streamwood to be eliminated from the tournament.
St. Charles East (32-3) will play Nazareth at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Benedictine University looking to clinch a spot in Wednesday's semifinals. The loser plays at 12:30 against Streamwood, and the winner of that game also will advance.
Manske will have to get the results in Georgia after his whirlwind travel schedule.
"It meant a lot to me," Manske said of pitching Monday. "It was very important to me. It was important to coach. It was a long drive but it was worth it."
Belo was pleased with Miramontes' complete game. He didn't walk a batter and struck out four. Becker's 2-for-3 day led the 5-hit attack for Palatine, which was missing six starters for various reasons and then lost second baseman Vince Portera when he hurt his knee covering second base.
"I'm very happy with our effort," Belo said. "(Miramontes) did it on short rest. He did a nice job mixing his slider in."