Willowbrook hangs on against Glenbard East

For one inning Willowbrook’s baseball team looked unstoppable.

Good thing for the Warriors that the other six didn’t come back to haunt them.

A big second inning had them on the verge of making quick work of Glenbard East in Tuesday’s game in Villa Park, but Willowbrook wound up clinging to an 8-6 victory in the face of the Rams’ rally.

Seven runs in the second inning set an early tone for Willowbrook (2-0), which took advantage of 3 errors by the Rams (1-1) surrounded by 4 timely hits. Tyler Adams and Tom Van Kooten smacked RBI singles while Alex Aiello drove in another run with a bases-loaded walk.

Dom Battaglia’s RBI double put the Warriors ahead 8-1 in the third inning, but that’s where the offense stalled. A few innings later Willowbrook found itself holding off Glenbard East.

“We’re out here to compete with guys, and we’re a good looking team,” said Warriors catcher Dan Fahlgren. “We knew we were up pretty big and we fell down a little bit. We got caught on our heels and they jumped all over it. But when it counted we buckled down and got the job done.”

Glenbard East used a 4-run top of the sixth to climb within 8-6. A 2-run double by Jon Morris and Nick Vichio’s RBI infield single highlighted the rally.

With runners on second and third and one out, the Rams had the go-ahead run at the plate. Willowbrook pitcher Zac Venchus, in relief of starter Dan Johnson, notched 2 strikeouts to escape the jam.

“They scored seven in one inning and we scored six the rest of the game, so I think our kids did a great job of battling,” said Glenbard East coach John Walters. “We had the tying run at second base at one point but we just couldn’t get over the hump.”

Johnson pitched 5-plus innings, striking out eight to earn the win. Matt Tiberi pitched the seventh and struck out two while earning the save, giving the Warriors 12 strikeouts on the day.

Joe Chovan and Dave Walsh combined on 4 scoreless innings of relief for Glenbard East.

“We sat back a little bit and got outside of our personality,” said Willowbrook coach Vic Wisner. “In those middle innings we were just playing to get it over with. The guys know we need to dictate the tempo better for the whole game.”