Glenbard West's Krusen finishes what he started
Regardless of his tiring arm or the increasing tension, Ben Krusen was determined to finish what he started.
Glenbard West's senior pitcher gutted out a complete-game win over visiting Hinsdale Central on Tuesday, holding on for a 4-3 West Suburban Silver baseball victory in Glen Ellyn.
Krusen went the distance after surviving an interesting top of the seventh inning when the Red Devils (8-15, 4-7) had the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second.
A wild pitch with the bases loaded had just narrowed the gap to 4-3 with two outs. Hinsdale Central batter Pat Foley sent a screaming line drive down the right-field line, but the umpire ruled it foul despite a heated protest from the Red Devils.
Krusen (3-1) then coaxed a groundout to third to end the game. The right-hander scattered 6 hits while striking out 11, walking three and hitting a batter.
“I got a little nervous toward the end, but I just tried to keep calm and throw strikes,” Krusen said. “I think I threw a lot of pitches, but I felt pretty strong. It definitely got tense out there.”
It was truly a frustrating end for the Red Devils, even beyond the call they wanted in the seventh inning. Five errors, eight runners left on base and a runner thrown out at the plate by Hilltoppers left fielder Jeremy Abernathy added to the misery.
“My concern is we scored 2 runs in the first inning and then just kind of went flat,” said Hinsdale Central coach Justin Cronin. “You've got to tack runs on as you go and continue to put pressure on them.”
A wild pitch and an RBI double by Matt Owen put Hinsdale Central ahead 2-0 in the second inning. Glenbard West (9-13, 5-6) got one back in the third inning when Ryan Kavanaugh's triple resulted in a sacrifice fly by Mark Terwilliger.
A fourth-inning double by Miles Brugh tied the game when Danny Kiel scored on an outfield error.
Three fifth-inning errors allowed the Hilltoppers to tally the 2 go-ahead runs. Brugh doubled home the fourth run.
“We were able to get some hits when we needed them,” said Glenbard West coach Brian Wojtun. “We couldn't string anything together consecutively, but it was enough to manufacture a few runs.”