Neuqua Valley tops Larkin for 8th straight win
After the Neuqua Valley baseball team beat Larkin on Friday 10-2, the Wildcats were in a very good mood as they did postgame maintenance on their home field.
Life is good these days for the 10-3 Wildcats. Friday’s victory was the team’s eighth straight, and with the victory over the Royals, Neuqua went undefeated against Upstate Eight Conference River Division teams.
The Wildcats began play in their own division, the Valley, with a series against Bartlett beginning Tuesday.
“Things can change, but right now things are going very well right now,” said Neuqua coach Robin Renner.
The Wildcats won Friday like they’ve won mostly this season, with a strong combination of pitching, defense and hitting.
Winning pitcher Jon Vlk went six innings allowing two runs on two hits while striking out four.
“It was good today. My curveball was breaking and my changeup was breaking,” he said.
Pat Kenny wrapped things up in the seventh, striking out two.
Renner said Neuqua’s pitching depth is crucial to the team’s success.
“I’m seeing the guys step up on the mound. It was Pat Kenny’s first varsity appearance this season. His breaking ball had an amazing snap,” Renner said. “We have a lot of pitchers, and we need to find a way to get them in the game.”
Offensively, Neuqua belted out 12 hits, 5 for extra bases.
Joe Grabarits led the Wildcats batting order, going 2-for-4 with a triple and 3 RBI.
His two-out, two-run single to left and Nick Blackburn’s RBI basehit gave Neuqua a 3-0 advantage after the first inning.
“We’ve been swinging the bats a lot better as a team, and that gives the pitchers a nice comfort zone. Our confidence every game is building,” Grabarits said. “I felt good today. I was seeing the ball well. I was seeing the ball come out of (the pitcher’s) hand.”
Neuqua made it 6-0 in the third. Grabarits belted his RBI triple, and Brett Marsalli blasted a 2-run homer that scored Grabarits.
The Wildcats made it 9-0 in the fifth with Dylan Goss’ two-run single being the key hit. The final run came in the seventh thanks to Matt Wollnik’s RBI single.
Larkin (6-8) made it on the scoreboard in its half of the sixth. Niko Morado’s two-out, two-run double scored Christopher Guzeman, who had walked, and Peter Lennard, who had been hit by a pitch.
The Royals had gone into the game on a two-game winning streak with wins this week over Bartlett and Waubonsie Valley. Larkin begins play in the River Division with a series beginning Tuesday against St. Charles North.
“There’s room to improve. We want to peak when the playoffs roll around,” said Larkin coach Matt Esterino. “We didn’t take a step back today. We didn’t play our best baseball, but we had a good week.”