Team effort against lifts Vernon Hills
It’s been a baseball season where different players have taken turns coming up big for Vernon Hills.
Wednesday was no different, as MJ Crowley, Austin Hagen and Ethan McGrew all helped the Cougars edge host Antioch 7-5 to improve to 22-6 and 8-1 in the North Suburban Prairie Division.
First-place Vernon Hills continues to lead Wauconda by a game in the loss column in the NSC Prairie.
Hagen helped build an early 5-1 lead, as he knocked in 2 runs and scored once.
Antioch fought back to tie the game, but that’s when MJ Crowley relieved his brother, Pat, to give Vernon Hills a lift on the mound. MJ Crowley earned the win, allowing only 1 hit and no earned runs over 3 innings. He also scored three times to help the effort.
Vernon Hills went ahead for good in the sixth when McGrew knocked in his second run of the game with a groundout, scoring courtesy runner Colin Krippinger. Hagen added some insurance in the top of the seventh, as he grounded out to score MJ Crowley, who had singled and moved to third on Chris Marras’ single.
Emery Paramski and Matt DeJong each doubled for Antioch, which fell to 5-5 in the NSC Prairie.
Mundelein 16, Zion-Benton 0: Jordan Bregenzer belted a grand slam, and Ryan Borucki hit a 3-run homer, helping the visiting Mustangs move a little closer to the North Suburban Lake Division title.
Mundelein (24-4, 9-1), which concludes divisional play with a home-and-home series with Stevenson next week, also got a triple from Jordan Wiegold and a double from Will Farmer. Farmer and Borucki each had 2 hits.
Matt Langlie pitched all 5 innings in earning the win, allowing only 1 hit, while striking out three.
Libertyville 8, Lake Forest 1: Nick Coutre and Evan Skoug homered, and Kevin McQuillen was 3-for-4 for the host Wildcats in their North Suburban Lake win.
Libertyville (8-2 NSC Lake) also got 2 hits apiece from Coutre, Anthony Mack and Matt Varner (double). Michael Rogers allowed 1 hit and 1 run over 6 innings in notching the win.
Warren 10, Highland Park 2: Alex Letto hit a home run and also had a single, as the Blue Devils cruised in the nonconference game.
Pat Kenney tripled, singled and knocked in a run for Warren (14-11), while Pat Temaner also had 2 hits and an RBI. Anthony Garza added a double, and Jimmy Nickell pitched 6 innings for the win.
Cary-Grove 5, Wauconda 1: David Diol went 2-for-3 for the Bulldogs in their nonconference loss.
Jack Botheroyd doubled for Wauconda (18-9).