Everything clicking for surging Elk Grove

When a team gets hot, everything seems to fall into place the way it did for Elk Grove on a cold and gray Tuesday afternoon at Prospect.

Long sixth-inning drives by Ryan Daubenspeck and Michael Anciulis fell beyond the left-field fence to give the Grenadiers a 1-run lead at Larry Pohlman Field. Kurt Donner’s drive to dead center to open the Prospect seventh fell just short of a tying homer.

Then the bases were loaded with one out and Dan Guido faced one of the area’s most feared hitters in Peter Bonahoom.

Bonahoom hit a line shot which seemed destined to fall in and at least tie the game. But Elk Grove shortstop Ryan Martinski made a leaping backhanded grab and flipped the ball to second baseman Justin Arguelles for a double play and a stunning ending to a 4-3 Mid-Suburban East win.

“It’s definitely always sweet when you beat Prospect,” Martinski said after preserving the win for sophomore Luc Dimaso and the save for Guido. “Here at the end, I can’t explain it right now. We always have a tough time against them.”

But surprising Elk Grove (11-6, 5-1) won its sixth straight — four by 1 run — to surpass its win total of last year and move into first in the East ahead of Prospect (14-5, 5-2) and Buffalo Grove (9-8, 4-1).

“Right now everything is clicking for us,” said Anciulis.

Take the game’s start, when Luke Bergman singled and Matt Molini doubled and Elk Grove and Dimaso came out with a double play. A perfect relay from center fielder Jack Czeszewski to Martinski to Daubenspeck nailed Bergman at the plate and Molini was caught in a rundown.

Prospect took a 3-2 lead on Bonahoom’s 2-run double in the third and Steve Dazzo took a 2-hitter into the sixth. Daubenspeck, who had an RBI double in the first, drilled a 3-2 fastball over the fence in left-center for his second homer in two days.

Two batters later, Anciulis hit a towering drive over the left-field fence for the sophomore’s first homer.

“‘Ancy’ stepped up,” Daubenspeck said. “We call ourselves the Bash Brothers since we’re the big boys. We picked up the team a little bit.”

Or a lot, in this case. Molini’s single to left loaded the bases in the seventh but then Martinski made his big glove save.

“It’s a game of inches, that’s for sure,” said Prospect coach Ross Giusti. “We’re 1 foot from going out (Donner’s double) and 1 inch from tying the game.”