Bartlett tops Waubonsie Valley for third straight
The Bartlett baseball team hadn’t planned on taking bye week in the middle of the season, but its nine-day, weather-induced layoff may prove to be the best thing that happened to the Hawks this spring, evidenced in part by Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over visiting Waubonsie Valley.
On April 21, Bartlett dropped its eighth straight game, a 7-0 shutout loss to Neuqua Valley that sank its record to 3-11 overall and 1-7 in the Valley Division of the Upstate Eight Conference. It was an uncharacteristically slow start for one of the UEC’s consistent winners.
Then the rains came April 22. Mother Nature didn’t let up until last Saturday, when the Hawks returned from their impromptu sabbatical reinvigorated and swept 2 close games from Metea Valley.
The 2-hit, complete-game shutout Dan Gallanis threw against the Warriors in a cold, steady drizzle Tuesday was Bartlett’s third victory in as many games, matching its win total through 14 previous outings.
“Maybe the rain week helped us,” said Bartlett coach Chis Pemberton, whose team improved to 7-11, 4-7. “We were kind of trying to figure some things out, but we’ve definitely turned the page and we’re heading in the right direction now.”
Gallanis (1-3) snuffed out a 3-game winning streak for Waubonsie Valley (8-11, 7-7). The 5-foot-10, 190-pound right-hander kept the Warriors off balance with a knuckle-curve, a combination sinker-slider, an effective changeup and a well-placed fastball.
Gallanis did not allow a hit until senior Mike Murphy pulled a single down the right-field line to lead off the fifth inning, and he retired the side in order five times, including the seventh. He struck out six without a walk and hit one batter with a pitch.
“My previous starts I started off pretty well, but something happened at the end and one thing led to another,” said Gallanis, who was backed by errorless defense. “I just got all my pitches over the plate for strikes and just put it all together. It felt great.”
Gallanis stranded Warriors in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings. Trailing 1-0 in the fifth, Waubonsie Valley had runners at first and third with one out when Tyler Josupait lined out to Bartlett shortstop David Mutter, who made 2 quick steps to his left to make the catch.
“(The coaches) just put me in the right spot,” said Mutter, who was playing halfway. “I made the play and we got out of it.”
Mutter handed Gallanis an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when he drilled a first-pitch fastball from Waubonsie Valley starting pitcher Joey Cuzzone for a double to the wall in right center, scoring Ryan Yore, who had drawn a leadoff walk.
It was a rare hit off Cuzzone (1-2). The senior left-hander threw a gem himself, allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits in 6 innings. He struck out four and walked four. However, two of the four hitters he walked later scored, including the unearned run Bartlett scored in the first inning on a Waubonsie Valley throwing error.
“That’s what you want of your pitchers, to keep you in the game and give you a chance,” Waubonsie Valley coach Dan Fezzuoglio said. “ Joey gave us a chance. He only gave up 3 hits, but 2 of his walks scored on him.
“We’re trying to battle and get to .500. We just have to keep doing it. We have 2 more games left in the series and we get to play at home finally and see what we can do. Hopefully, we can pick it up.”
The teams resume their 3-game series today in Aurora at 4:30 p.m. The series finale takes place Thursday in Bartlett.