Hersey takes one from Fremd
Taking and taking one for the team turned out to be the game-winning formula Friday for Hersey in a rematch of last year’s Mid-Suburban League baseball title game.
The host Huskies scored in the bottom of the seventh inning without a hit for a 3-2 victory over defending champion Fremd.
The rematch saw a duel that resulted in no-decisions for two of the MSL’s best pitchers. Fremd (7-8, 3-1) left-hander Sean Stutzman allowed 3 hits and 1 earned run with 8 strikeouts and 3 walks in 6 innings and Hersey (9-7, 4-2) righty Joe Perricone allowed 5 hits and no earned runs with 11 strikeouts and 3 walks in 6 innings.
Fremd righty Joe Leaf started the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout. Kevin Schmadebeck was hit by a pitch and Dan Gierman and Tyler Perkowitz walked.
Leaf got another strikeout but that brought up Perricone and one of the area’s most dangerous hitters walked on four pitches to score the winning run.
Fremd took a 2-0 lead on RBI singles by Kurt Kaufman in the first inning and Stutzman (2-for-4) in the third.
Hersey tied it in the bottom of the third as Trevor Haas singled, Brian Tansor sacrificed and Josh Koutnik singled. Perkowitz grounded into a force play to score the first run and after Dalton Farel walked, Perricone’s infield popup was misplayed and the tying run scored.
Hersey’s Aaron DeGeorge (3-0) came in with a runner on second with one out in the seventh and got a flyout and groundout to end the threat.
Wheeling 3, Schaumburg 2: Matt Hart worked out of some trouble with help from his defense as host Wheeling prevailed in an MSL crossover.
Hart and Co. got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning with a 1-2-3 double play, and Wheeling turned a 6-4-3 double play to end a threat in the fifth inning.
In the first inning, Nick Ricciardi scored for Wheeling (5-7, 2-3) on a double by Nick Thong. Ricciardi scored again in the third on a single by Peter Durbin, and the Wildcats scored the winning run in the fourth when Anthony Spiezia singled and scored on a base hit by Theo Yfantis.
Hart (3-2) struck out two and walked one. Kurt Kempema took the loss for Schaumburg (8-3, 2-2), which got doubles from Tom Byrne and Jeremy Hall.
Meadows 2, Palatine 1: It was fitting Eric Lowe scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning for Rolling Meadows (9-7, 3-4) on Matt Hendricks’ single in the MSL crossover.
Lowe (3-3) went the whole way on the mound as he allowed only 4 hits with 8 strikeouts and no walks. The junior threw 73 of his 106 pitches for strikes as Meadows won its third straight.
A single by Lowe (2-for-5) and an error on a sacrifice by Kyle Krzeski set up Hendricks (2-for-5) in the 10th. Krzeski drove in the tying run for Meadows in the sixth.
Kurt Becker pitched the first 8 innings for Palatine (10-9, 2-2) and Dan Haze had 2 doubles.
Elk Grove 2, Conant 1: Paul Warble had a no-hitter going for Conant into the sixth inning, but Elk Grove’s Dan Guido (5-3) was nearly as good as the host Grens won their third straight 1-run game with a run in the bottom of the seventh of the MSL crossover.
Conant (2-10, 1-4) tied the game with a run in the top of the seventh when Joe Belmonte led off with a double and eventually scored on a safety squeeze.
In the bottom half, the Grens scored with a leadoff walk, a sacrifice and a two-out infield error.
Warble (1-2) took the loss but allowed only 2 hits with 6 strikeouts and 3 walks in 6 innings. Guido went the distance with 9 strikeouts and 1 walk for Elk Grove (8-6, 3-1).
Barrington 17, Buffalo Grove 11: Ricky Alfonso had a 3-run double and Frank Waliczek got the victory as Barrington (3-16, 2-4) erupted for 19 hits in the MSL crossover. Kevin Tennenbaum had 3 hits and Ryan Nisbet homered for BG (8-7, 3-1).
Prospect 10, Hoffman Estates 1: Luke Bergman doubled and drove in 2 runs to pace the host Knights’ offense in an MSL crossover.
Ben Menich (4-0) struck out 5 in 6 innings and got the victory. Matt Molini and Kurt Donner both had 2 hits, and Peter Bonahoom and Kevin Miller doubled for the Knights (12-4, 4-1).
Hoffman fell to 6-11 overall and 1-5 in the MSL.
Leyden 7, Proviso East 2: According to coach Gary Wolf, Leyden’s patience at the plate paid.
The Eagles produced 3-run rallies in the fourth and fifth innings and plated 7 runs on 9 hits to claim a West Suburban Gold victory at home.
Dan Schoedel (3-0) earned win and Eric Palmer homered and finished with 2 RBI for Leyden (16-1, 10-1). Neither team committed an error.
Maine West 3, Deerfield 2: Josh Wright tossed a complete-game 4-hitter, his defense committed only 1 error and Mike Farias doubled to help Maine West (6-9) pick up a Central Suburban North victory.