Roberts gives Hoffman Estates first win
The last start for Hoffman Estates junior Mark Roberts had a tough ending as he lost his shutout and game to Huntley in the seventh inning.
Roberts had a tough beginning Monday as he gave up a triple and a run-scoring groundout to the first two Dundee-Crown hitters.
But Roberts was just tough from there as he wound up scattering 7 hits and Hoffman won its first game of the season 3-1.
“He has real nice velocity on his fastball and can hit his spots and works it really well,” said Hoffman coach Todd Meador. “He has the curveball and changeup, but right now he likes to challenge hitters and come right at them.”
Roberts had 5 strikeouts and 3 walks. D-C threatened in the seventh with runners at first and second but Roberts ended it with a flyout.
“He’s proven already he has that winning mentality on the mound,” Meador said. “It really ticked him off that he wasn’t able to close that game (2-1 loss) against Huntley. He wanted to finish this one off.”
Hoffman (1-6) tied it in the second when sophomore Jimmy Ward tripled and scored on Riley Mugerditchian’s single. Ward had a two-out RBI single in the third.
“He’s tearing it up,” Meador said of Ward, who homered in Saturday’s doubleheader against Larkin.
Hoffman added a big insurance run in the sixth when freshman Ethan Bloom reached on a fielder’s choice, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Drew Roesch’s two-out RBI single.
Junior shortstop Kevin Grudzinski continued to provide solid defense.
“It’s a luxury as a coach when you have a kid at shortstop who makes great plays look routine,” Meador said, “and makes routine plays look simple.”
Palatine 10, Jacobs 0: Alex Miramontes threw a 3-hitter as Palatine (5-5) won in 5 innings to extend its winning streak to four games in Algonquin.
Miramontes had 8 strikeouts and 1 walk and threw 49 of his 74 pitches for strikes.
Cody Bobbit and Kurt Becker both went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI. Mike Czarnik hit a solo homer, Jim Smearman doubled and drove in 2 runs and Dan Haze tripled.
Schaumburg 2, Bartlett 1: Kurt Kempema (1-1) and Patrick Bellinger combined on a 2-hitter as Schaumburg (4-1) won its fourth straight game.
Kempema, a senior left-hander, went 6 innings and had 7 strikeouts and no walks. Roger Lane went 2-for-2 and drove in a run with a squeeze bunt in the third inning.
Fremd 6, Crystal Lake Central 2: Sean Stutzman had 11 strikeouts in 6 innings and Kurt Kaufman homered for Fremd (3-2) in the nonconference win.
Stutzman scattered 5 hits, didn’t allow a walk and gave up only 1 earned run. K.J. Kinsella and Josh Jyawook had 2 hits apiece for the Vikings.
St. Viator 11, Elmwood Park 1: Nick Prazuch went 3-for-3 with a double and a triple and Chris Myjak homered and doubled for St. Viator (3-2). Derek Noel got the victory as he allowed 1 hit and no walks and had 4 strikeouts in 4 innings.
Glenbrook North 12, Prospect 2: Luke Bergman tripled and Peter Bonahoom doubled as Prospect (5-1) suffered its first loss in 5 innings. Glenbrook North is now 6-1 under first-year coach Dominic Savino, who was an all-area player at Elk Grove.