St. Viator takes duel from Hersey

St. Viator senior Robert Romano and Hersey junior Trevor Haas didn’t have to worry about feeling the chill of a cold and overcast Thursday afternoon.

They would take a quick break and then go back to working on shutouts in the Arlington Heights crosstown baseball battle. The most pitches each of the efficient right-handers threw in an inning was 14.

But that inning for Haas was the top of the seventh, which could have been over in just 3 pitches. A one-out error led to a two-out, 2-run single by Viator second baseman Kole Luthringshausen and a 2-0 victory at Hersey.

“What a great high school baseball game,” Viator coach Mike Manno said after each team split 8 hits and turned in stellar defense. “I told the coaches in the sixth inning you hate to see a team lose here.

“It was probably one of the better games I’ve been a part of to watch. The two pitchers were outstanding and what makes it even better it you have two rivals.”

Romano (1-1) threw 53 of his 80 pitches for strikes and had 5 strikeouts and 2 walks as Viator (4-3) claimed bragging rights for the fifth straight time. Haas (1-1) threw 51 of his 69 pitches for strikes and had 5 strikeouts and no walks.

“When you’re on a roll like this you like to keep things going,” Romano said of the fast-paced hour and 29 minute game.

“It can’t hurt,” Haas said. “I’ll pitch either way but it’s nice to keep moving.”

Haas didn’t allow a hit until catcher Cory Kay rifled a one-hop shot past shortstop Tyler Perkowitz with two outs in the fourth. The only other Viator hit until the seventh was Derek Noel’s single in the sixth.

With two outs in the seventh, Joe Ferrante bounced a 3-2 pitch for a single to right to send a running Cosimo Cannella to third.

Luthringshausen missed a one-strike curve in the dirt that sent Ferrante to second. But the No. 7 hitter served a low and outside 1-2 curve into right field to finally break up the duel.

“He made a great swing on it,” Haas said.

“I was actually thinking fastball but when he threw it, I focused on watching the ball more,” said Luthringshausen. “My previous at-bats (groundout and strikeout) I wasn’t staying focused on the ball as much.

“We came out solid and with a lot of intensity. We really shut it down in the field and made good plays all around.”

Shortstop Brian Wilhite had an inning-ending double play after Perkowitz’s single in third and started another with Luthringshausen in the fourth after Joe Perricone’s leadoff single. Erik Stoltzner followed with what turned out to be the last Hersey (4-3) hit — but just barely as he beat out a big-league play and perfect throw from deep in the hole by Wilhite.

Romano also left a runner at third with two outs in the second. After Dalton Farel walked on a close 3-2 pitch with one out in the sixth, Romano got a big pickoff before Perricone’s fly to deep center was dropped for a two-base error.

Romano got an inning-ending grounder to Luthringshausen and retired the side in order in the seventh.

“We know how good he is but that was probably the best I’ve seen him,” Manno said.

“My curve is what did it for me today,” said Romano, who had 9 strikeouts in 4 innings but threw 89 pitches Saturday in a loss to Prospect. “When I can place it early in the count for strikes it makes my fastball that much better.”

Farel also had a solid day defensively at second base and started a double play with Perkowitz to end the second.

“It was really a well-played game, like a playoff game,” said Hersey coach Bob Huber. “Hopefully something like this pays dividends down the line. It was a shame somebody had to lose it.”