Glenbard East feeds off Spears’ pitching
Around the same time that Tuesday night dinners were being prepared, the Glenbard East baseball team was trying to cook up a recipe for victory against host Wheaton Warrenville South.
And the Rams (16-13, 8-8 DuPage Valley Conference) enjoyed a satisfying meal of a 12-1 victory in six innings thanks to the ingredients of 13 hits, the pitching of starter D.J. Spears and a defense that came through when needed. It was Glenbard East’s fourth win in the last five games.
“This is typical of the team we’re capable of being. The team is starting to realize that,” said Rams coach Joel Pelland. “I’m not saying winning by 10-runs every time. But we pitched well and got some quality at-bats.”
Glenbard East wasted no time in the first inning, racking up seven runs on five hits.
Leadoff hitter Danny Ryan doubled to left center with an 0-2 count. Joe Kotch followed with getting hit by a pitch and following a passed ball that moved the runners up, the table was set for Patrick Walsh.
He put a double into the same spot Ryan had, and that scored Ryan and Kotch. Chris Milligan walked and Greg Ludwig was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Yoanny Gonzalez walked, scoring Walsh. Mike Hansen followed with a single to center that scored Cody Hallcox, who ran for Milligan, and Ludwig.
The big inning wrapped up with Nick Vichio’s two-run single that scored Gonzolez and Hansen.
Glenbard East made it 8-0 in the second. Kotch singled to left and later stole home. The Tigers limited the damage that inning with three straight strikeouts from starting pitcher Baylor Holmes, who finished with seven.
WW South (16-12, 8-8) got on the scoreboard in the fourth. Ryan Kelly singled and moved to third on Mike Shelton’s double to left. Mike Sturgeon’s sacrifice fly brought home Kelly.
The Rams kept the bats hot in the sixth with a two-run homer from Joe Plimmer and a two-run double from Hallcox. For his efforts Hallcox received the team’s ram’s head award, a cloth replica of a ram’s head given to the top Glenbard East player of each game.
“We have all the talent. We just need to be consistent,” he said.
Spears pitched five innings, allowing just four hits and striking out six. John Nebbia finished up in the sixth.
As for the Tigers, a second chance at the Rams happens at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Lombard.
“(The Rams) were ready today and we weren’t,” Tigers coach Tim Brylka said.