Grant makes the grade against Lakes

Before hustling off to Honors Night, where he and fellow Grant academic-scholarship winners were to be recognized, Andrew Stone needed to solve a large problem not found in any textbook.

How was the 5-foot-9 lefty going to beat 6-6 ace Chase Slota and his red-hot Lakes baseball team in Wednesday's showdown between the North Suburban Prairie Division co-leaders?

"Today I was just working on hitting spots, especially with my fastball," Stone said. "Like on 0-2 counts, I was working on outside corner, outside corner, trying to get them to chase. And then I was just trying to throw my off-speed pitches for strikes."

Stone turned in "A" work, naturally.

The Carroll University-bound senior pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball, as Grant edged the visiting Eagles 3-2 in Fox Lake. Using a fastball, curveball and slider, Stone (4-2) scattered 8 hits (all singles), struck out four and walked a pair.

"He's got three pitches, he mixes them up and he throws them in any count," Bulldogs coach Dave Behm said. "He just keeps guys off-balance."

Grant (20-6), which got a big home run from sophomore designated hitter Ricky Allen in recording its 20th win, improved to 7-0 in the NSC Prairie. Lakes (15-6-1) fell to 6-1 in the division with just its second loss in its last 16 games. The Eagles had 9 hits but none for extra bases. Grant catcher Ethan Unger threw out a runner trying to steal second base when Lakes' hitter missed a bunt sign. With two on and none out in the seventh, trailing 3-1, the Eagles couldn't get a bunt down.

"We got to be better offensively," Lakes coach Ray Gialo said.

Chad Baron nailed down his sixth save, but it wasn't easy for Grant's senior right-hander. After walking Zach Meyer and Ben Milewski to start the seventh, Baron recorded back-to-back strikeouts, before Cody Nuxoll blooped a single into right field for his second RBI of the game. But Baron got the final out on an unassisted groundout to first baseman James Pendley.

"He's done it all," Behm said of Baron. "He's had three-inning saves. He's had games where he's come in (to pitch) in the third inning and finished games. He's had two-out saves."

Allen might have had the biggest hit of the game.

With one out in a 1-1 game in the fourth, Allen got a first-pitch fastball about waist-high and a little in, and hit it over the fence in left field. It was his first varsity homer - off the hard-throwing Slota, no less.

"That was big," said Allen, who hit 8 homers on the freshman team last year. "It felt pretty good.

"I had an approach that if he gave me the pitch I wanted, I was going to drive it, and he put it right where I wanted it. I just unloaded on it."

Allen reached base in each of his three plate appearances against Slota, finishing 2-for-2 with a walk.

"He's a good hitter," Behm said. "He's continued to improve. He's adjusted to varsity baseball and started to get really comfortable."

Grant added an important insurance run in the sixth when pinch hitter Blain Kugel smoked a two-out double to right field, scoring Rennie Jimdar, who was running for Allen. Kugel's hit chased Slota (5-1), who allowed 3 runs (2 earned), 6 hits and 3 walks, striking out six. He touched 88 mph on Lakes' radar gun early in the game.

"Early on, his curveball wasn't as sharp as it was later in the game," Gialo said. "I think he got a better feel for it. His velocity was good. He was good enough to win."

Milewski and Max Swiatek were both 2-for-3 for Lakes, which hosts Grant on Thursday.

Grant's Eddie Kusiak (1-for-1, 2 walks) had a two-out RBI double in the first after Spencer Lhotka reached on an error. Pendley also doubled for the Bulldogs.

"Real good win," Behm said. "(Slota) is good. He's the type of pitcher every team hopes to have. Stone did a good job going up against him."