Baseball/Fox Valley roundup
The Dundee-Crown baseball team bounced back in a big way Thursday.
One day after Woodstock blew out the Chargers 13-5 in the Fox Valley Conference opener in Carpentersville, D-C returned the favor by pounding the Blue Streaks 12-1 in five innings to gain the series split.
Tyler Gross (2-0) held Woodstock to 1 earned run on 3 hits with 2 strikeouts and 2 walks in 5 innings of work.
Dundee-Crown (4-6, 1-1) scored 4 runs in each of the first two innings and led 10-0 after three. Steve Schwartz (3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R) and Kirk Hanselmann (2-for-3, RBI, 2 R) ignited the offense.
Cary-Grove 14, Johnsburg 1: It was a good day for Cary-Grove’s Matt Panek. The senior improved to 2-0 by holding the Skyhawks without an earned run in 3 innings. He struck out 5 and walked 1. Panek also doubled and drove in a game-high 3 runs. Alex Posey and Alex Wians each doubled and drove in 2 runs for Cary-Grove (5-3, 2-0), which won for the fifth time in 6 games.
Huntley 12, Woodstock North 0: Justin Gundlach (2-0) worked 5 innings of 1-hit baseball and struck out 4, and the Red Raiders exploded for 12 hits to finish off the Thunder (3-3, 0-2) in a six-inning Fox Valley Conference game. Nick Corpolongo (3-for-4, run), Colin Lyman (1-for-3, 3 RBI) and Kameron Sallee (double, 2 RBI) helped complete the 2-game series sweep for Huntley (6-1, 2-0).
Jacobs splits: The Golden Eagles won the continuation of a suspended game against Crystal Lake Central 7-6 in 10 innings, but they dropped the regularly scheduled game 5-4 to split the series.
Jacobs (2-4, 1-1) won the suspended game on Kenny Finn’s successful squeeze bunt in the 10th. Nate Andersen (1-0) earned the win in 2 innings of relief.
Jacobs led 3-2 in the sixth inning of Game 2, but defensive breakdowns led to a 3-run home run for CL Central. Greg Mixon (0-1) took the loss in relief.
“We had a shot in the top of the seventh, and that is a credit to our kinds that they never quit,” Jacobs coach Erik Kehoe said. “I am encouraged with our hitting the last 10, 12 innings as we are starting to take better at-bats. (We) still have work to do, but we are improving each time out.” Streamwood 9, Waubonsie Valley 2: The Sabres counted 4 doubles among their 11 hits and Judson-bound pitcher Blake Hunter struck out 9 Warriors in a complete-game Upstate Eight Conference victory in Aurora. Hunter (2-0) scattered 8 hits and walked 3. Josh Harris (2-for-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBI), Nick Pryor (2-for-4, double, RBI), Zach Bucher (1-for-3, 2 RBI) and Alex Morrow (1-for-4, double, 3 RBI) sparked the offense for Streamwood (8-0, 2-0). Metea Valley 5, Larkin 3: Larkin scored twice in the sixth inning but couldn#146;t come all the way back in a Upstate Eight Conference road game. Junior Kyle Newquist (0-2) took the loss. He was touched for 3 earned runs on 4 hits and issued 5 walks in 4 innings.
Neuqua Valley 7, Elgin 0: The Maroons were held to 5 hits and committed 3 errors en route to an Upstate Eight Conference loss in Naperville. Ryan Walker had a 2-hit day, Jake Meyer doubled and David Penaloza (0-2) took to the loss for Elgin (1-4, 1-1).St. Charles East 5, South Elgin 5: The visiting Saints and the Storm played to a draw after the game was suspended due to darkness after seven innings. South Elgin starting pitcher Marty Knuth got the no-decision after allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 9 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings. Dillon Gardner had a hit and drove in 2 runs for South Elgin (5-1-1, 0-1-1).
St. Francis 11, St. Edward 8: Ryan DiCristofano doubled twice and drove in 2 runs and Ryan Nudd went 2-for-2, but the Green Wave couldn#146;t overcome a 10-run first inning by the Spartans in Suburban Christian Conference play in Wheaton. Jack Sutherland (0-2) took the loss for St. Edward (2-8, 0-3). In 5 innings of relief, Austin Davis held St. Francis to 1 unearned run on 3 hits.
Sycamore 3, Hampshire 1: Sycamore scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh and withstood a Hampshire run in the bottom of the inning to hold on in nonconference. Luke Wians held the Spartans to 1 earned run on 7 hits in 7 innings. He also had 2 hits for Hampshire (3-4)
Westminster Christian sweeps: The Warriors swept a pair of Northeast Athletic Conference games from Christian Liberty Academy, 11-3 and 9-5.
In the 9-5 win, Ben Stevenson and Dylan Scully each drove in 2 runs, and Zach Barfield earned the victory on the mound. Scully earned the win in Game 2, and seven different players drove in runs for Westminster Christian (6-4, 2-0), which has won 5 straight games.
Commitment: Huntley outfielder Carlos Alvarez has verbally committed to play baseball at McHenry County College next year, Huntley announced Thursday.
Jerry Fitzpatrick contributed to this report