St. Charles E. shares UEC River title

Kyle Manske doesn’t suffer from triskaidekaphobia.

In other words, he doesn’t fear the number 13. In fact, he wears it on the back of his uniform shirt.

However, opposing hitters may begin to fear having to face the junior left-hander if he continues to pitch the way he did during St. Charles East’s 3-0 triumph over St. Charles North (23-10, 17-7) Thursday afternoon.

Manske turned in a masterful complete-game performance, needing just 96 pitches to help the Saints take 2 of 3 games from the cross-town rival North Stars.

“He did an incredible job to throw a shutout at (St. Charles) North,” Saints coach Dave Haskins said of Manske. “He was able to throw his fastball and change-up for strikes, and he sneaked in a few breaking balls.”

Manske’s outing was far different from his previous start 5 days earlier in a loss to Geneva.

“That was a little rough,” Manske admitted. “First two innings and I was pulled but Coach (Haskins) tends to do that if you’re struggling a bit. He said I wasn’t making adjustments with my pitches.

“It was all right because I ended up throwing some in the second game (against Geneva) and regained my composure.”

That composure was evident after the North Stars’ first 2 batters reached base in the bottom of the seventh — Dirk Schmitt on a single and Jake Johansmeier on an infield error.

Manske reached back and struck out the side to end the game.

“I kind of feel like I get better as the game goes on,” said Manske, who fanned 5, walked 2 and picked off a pair of runners.

The win, coupled with Geneva’s come-from-behind, 9-8 victory over Streamwood (26-6,

19-6), gave the Saints (23-10, 19-6) a share of the Upstate Eight Conference

River Division championship.

“It’s a great feeling — a huge accomplishment,” said Haskins. “We won every series except (against) Geneva. With Streamwood, St. Charles North and Geneva, there were some huge teams to get past in our division.”

The Saints scored an unearned run to take a 1-0 first-inning lead off North Stars’ senior left-hander Phil Warner.

“The first-inning error kind of hurt,” admitted North Stars coach Todd Genke. “The team that won each game of the series got the lead early.”

The score remained 1-0 until the sixth when Brian Sobieski (2-for-3) laced a 2-run double off the base of the fence in right-center.

“Sobieski was big,” Haskins said of his sophomore catcher. “He’s done it a couple times. He did it against Streamwood at Streamwood and this time here.”

“I was just trying to drive the ball to the right side and drive in the run, and give Manske some support,” said Sobieski of his extra-base hit off reliever Carl Formento. “I seem to do better against righties, and I was kind of sitting on a fastball.”

Genke’s play-the-percentages move didn’t work out as planned.

“Phil (Warner) pitched well — like we thought he would,” said Genke. “I took him out because I liked the righty (vs. righty) matchup and I thought we had a double play possibility. But the kid (Sobieski) hit the ball off the fence.

“The two runs they got in the sixth felt like 10,” added Genke. “It was kind of a deflating situation for us. That’s what happens when somebody adds on at the end of the game. It’s hard to bounce back.”

Especially against someone like Manske, who was at the top of his game.

“He was dominant out there,” Sobieski said of his batterymate. “No one could touch him today.”