Stevenson powers past Grant

So much for the death of power hitting due to the new BBCOR bats.

BBCOR bats have replaced the old composite aluminum bats and are now required at the high school level.

The change was driven by concerns about the trampoline effect composite bats can have, sending balls off their surface with sometimes dangerous velocities.

Because BBCOR bats are like wood bats and absorb more energy from a pitch and cut down on the velocity of a hit ball, safety for fielders theoretically improves but power numbers for hitters generally decline.

On Friday, though, Stevenson seemed to have no regard about what it supposed to happen to power numbers with BBCOR bats.

The Patriots blasted 3 home runs and rolled up 13 hits in an 11-1 North Suburban Conference crossover victory over host Grant.

It was the first time all season that Stevenson sent a ball over the fence. To get three at once was a real treat in the BBCOR era.

“Guys were really making good contact today,” said Stevenson senior centerfielder Max Golembo, who crushed a 3-run homer over Grant’s extra-high fence in right field. “The whole offense up and down was producing. It’s good to get the wheels turning like that.

“Today showed that we can really hit the ball.”

Stevenson, which improves to 8-5 overall, showed that over and over again in the third inning.

The Patriots were trailing 1-0 when Golembo led off with a single. Two batters later, senior shortstop Adam Walton drilled a two-run homer over the left field fence. Stevenson then scored four more runs on four more hits to take a 5-1 lead and control of the game.

“You could tell the guys were locked in today,” Stevenson coach Paul Mazzuca said. “I liked our approach today.

“Wind is always helpful (for home runs) and we had that today, but we also really struck it hard today, too.”

Sophomore designated hitter Zach Novoselsky also had a home run and five players came up with multiple hits for the Patriots, including Golembo, Walton, Steve Galanopoulos, Jon Savarise and Jack Karras.

Meanwhile, Stevenson pitcher Scott Irving kept Grant’s hitters as cold as his hitters were hot.

The Bulldogs managed just 3 hits, one apiece from Jordan Villarreal, Tino Torres and Eric Wilhelm.

“Scott walked a couple of guys in the first inning and kind of labored,” Mazzuca said of Irving, who improved to 2-1 on the mound. “But then he got comfortable and started throwing strikes.”

Irving put on two runners to start the bottom of the seventh inning so Mazzuca brought in reliever Jordan Sheinkop to finish up. But Sheinkop didn’t have to break much of a sweat, even with no outs on the board.

The first batter he faced, Jake Ring, ripped a line drive to Walton at shortstop. Walton caught the ball, then he tagged second base to get the runner who had been on second out. Then, he ran down the runner who got caught between first and second and tagged him out.

Walton’s heads-up play went down as an unassisted triple play.

“That’s rare,” Mazzuca. “I have never seen a triple play before that was unassisted.”