Palatine tops Hoffman Estates
Palatine was down 5 runs but still had nine outs to work with in Thursday’s Mid-Suburban League baseball game with visiting Hoffman Estates.
The Pirates only needed six of them as they had 4-run innings in the fifth and sixth to pull out a 9-6 victory.
“It just all came together,” said Palatine junior Scott Schneberger, whose RBI single to right broke a 6-6 tie. “It’s a matter of us putting our good approaches together.
“I feel like we’re a very talented team and things are starting to go the way we want them to go together.”
Palatine (13-11, 4-3) trailed 6-1 in the fifth after Joe Walsh came in with the bases loaded and no outs and gave up a 2-run double to right-center to Trent Rehusch. But Walsh stopped it there with 2 strikeouts and a botched squeeze bunt.
Walsh also got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the sixth and left two runners on in the seventh.
“I felt like Joe was going to put us in a good spot,” Schneberger said.
“In the bullpen it was really working well for me,” Walsh said. “I was confident.”
Hoffman (9-13, 4-5) was looking to extend a 3-game winning streak as Brian Cvitkovich retired the first nine hitters. The only hit he allowed into the fifth was Kurt Becker’s RBI single.
Walsh doubled to start the fifth but was out trying to score on Schneberger’s single to left on freshman Ethan Bloom’s one-hop throw to Drew Roesch. But Jesse Bobbit had an RBI single and Mike Czarnik singled.
Vince Portera was out on a nice play by shortstop Kevin Grudzinski but lefty-hitting Cody Bobbit launched a 3-run homer to right onto the softball field to cut the deficit to 6-5.
“It turned around right when he hit the homer,” Walsh said.
It continued in the sixth when Dan Haze was hit by a pitch, Walsh tripled to right-center and scored on Schneberger’s single. Bobbit was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Becker followed with a sacrifice fly.
“We can’t slip up,” Schneberger said of the West race. “It’s a matter of putting away teams we have to put away. We have to have that killer instinct.”
Grudzinski had a 2-run single in the second and singled and scored on Kevin Tednes’ double in the first for Hoffman.
“I told our guys, ‘I know you had a big win (Wednesday against Hersey’s Joe Perricone) but they play with no fear,’” Palatine coach Paul Belo said of Hoffman. “They come out and attack you.
“We were fortunate to string some things together and get big hits at times when things weren’t looking good for us.”
Elk Grove 8, Buffalo Grove 4: Ryan Martinski went 4-for-4 with a homer and 2 RBI and Cody Gustafson homered as Elk Grove (12-7, 6-2) moved into a tie for first in the MSL East with Prospect.
Justin Arguelles went 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and Gustafson and Michael Anciulis had 2 hits in support of winner Dan Guido. Andrew Van Wazer homered for BG (9-10, 4-3).
Fremd 6, Schaumburg 0: Junior Jack Andersen threw 6 innings and got all the support he needed when Zach Kolakowski homered on the second pitch as Fremd (11-9, 6-2) kept a 1½-game lead in the MSL West.
Kolakowski went 3-for-4 while Matt Brancato and Mark Bielanski had 2 hits for Schaumburg (9-6, 2-5).
Hersey 5, Conant 2: Trevor Haas got the victory for Hersey (11-9, 5-4) in the MSL crossover at Conant (3-14, 2-7).
Junior John Reynolds threw a complete game for Conant in its 4-2 win over Wheeling on Wednesday.
Leyden 6, York 4: Carlos Olavarria and John Marino had 2 hits and homered as Leyden (21-1) won the West Suburban crossover. Singles in the top of the seventh by Matt Jeske, Eli Perez, Olavarria and Justin Stawychny broke a 4-4 tie.
Christian Liberty 3, Luther North 2: Christian Liberty scored in the top of the eighth for its second straight Northeastern Athletic Conference victory. David Cabrera was the winner.
Correction: In Fremd’s 12-1 win over Buffalo Grove on Wednesday, junior Danny Haduch had an RBI single in the fifth inning and made a leaping catch of a line drive at second base to start a game-ending double play for the Vikings.