Respite recharges Bergmann, Glenbard North

After nearly a two-week weather break from pitching, Glenbard North senior Andrew Bergmann’s right arm was beyond rested.

That turned out to be bad news for Wheaton North.

Behind their senior ace on Thursday, the Panthers snared the first game of a key three-game DuPage Valley Conference series by beating host Wheaton North 6-2.

Bergmann improved to 5-0 by striking out nine, scattering 3 hits, walking one and hitting two batters. After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth with the tying run at the plate, Bergmann sent the Falcons (7-4, 2-2) down in order in the seventh.

“I had almost two weeks off, so I felt pretty good,” said Bergmann, who relied on bullpen sessions to stay sharp during the break. “It’s good to come back out after a couple of bad starts and get a good one.”

Evin Natick’s RBI single staked Glenbard North (10-3, 4-0) to a 1-0 first-inning lead, and then Josh Shine and Tyler Schwichtenberg drove in runs in the second inning.

Brandon Villanueva’s RBI double in the top of the third made it 4-0. All 4 runs crossed the plate with two outs, and five Wheaton North errors in the game led to 3 unearned runs.

“We probably didn’t field well enough today to beat a good team like Glenbard North, so we’ve got to be better than that,” said Falcons coach Dan Schoessling. “It’s frustrating because a lot of those two-out hits they got came with guys on base who probably shouldn’t have been there.”

After the Falcons’ Ryan Kent drove in a run with a groundout in the bottom of the third, Glenbard North took advantage of three Wheaton North errors in the fifth to score twice. Brandon Clark keyed the 6-1 lead with an RBI single.

Wheaton North’s Kevin Fahy narrowed the gap to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer, and the Falcons loaded the bases in the sixth on a double by Kent and a pair of hit batters.

Bergmann, however, escaped with a strikeout and a groundout on a comebacker that tipped off his glove and went to shortstop Anthony Keener. He stepped on second to end the inning.

“We found some holes today, and obviously Andrew threw the ball well and we played some defense,” said Glenbard North coach Rich Smelko. “I thought overall we played pretty well.”