Allen's blast carries Grant to victory

Ricky Allen belted a 3-run homer in the fifth inning, rallying Grant's baseball team to a 6-5 win over visiting Richmond-Burton in nonconference action Wednesday.

Grant (6-1) led 3-1 after one inning but trailed 5-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth. Sam Fernandez (1-0) picked up the win, and Sean Lane earned the save.

Carmel 5, Lakes 4: Winning pitcher Joe Santoro threw 2 innings of relief, allowing 1 run on 2 hits with no walks and 3 strikeouts, as the Corsairs improved to 2-1 with the nonconference win.

The game was called due to darkness in the top of the sixth.

Santoro was also 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI. Joey Lake went 2-for-3 with an RBI for Carmel, and Eddie Pietschman was 1-for-1 with an RBI double.

Lakes (1-4) was led by Ben Milewski (2-for-3, run, RBI), Matt Milewski (2-for-3, run) and Brandon Khan (1-for-1, double, 2 walks).

Grayslake North 6, Wheeling 5: A four-run fourth was the difference for the host Knights, who survived a four-run seventh by the Wildcats.

Grayslake North's fourth inning included Jon Cesario's run-scoring double, Jake Damore's RBI groundout and Bobby Krebs' RBI triple.

Niles West 5, Vernon Hills 4: For the second day in a row, the Cougars were involved in a tight game against a solid Class 4A opponent.

Joe Rangel's two-out, three-run double in the second put Vernon Hills up 3-2, but Niles West answered with a two-run homer by Michael Gunartt in the top of the third.

Trailing 5-3 going into the bottom of the seventh, Vernon Hills didn't go quietly. Brennan Reback led off with a triple and was singled home by Rangel, putting the tying run on first. The Cougars then hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Connor McNamara kept the inning alive with a single, but a strikeout ended the nonconference game.

Stevenson wins twice: At Vero Beach, Fla., the Patriots beat Dunbar 7-6 and Franklin Regional 2-0.

Justin Stark (5 innings pitched), Daniel Lubelfeld (1 IP) and Bronson Litcher (1 IP) combined on a two-hit shutout against Franklin Regional. Charlie Bourbon led the way offensively, going 2-for-3 with a triple and 2 runs scored. Dylan Molek (1-for-3) and Jack Trotter (1-for-2) had RBI.

Against Dunbar, Michael Sobel's sacrifice fly in the seventh was the difference. Scotty Max went 3-for-4 for Stevenson, Bourbon was 2-for-2, and Hayden Shape went 2-for-3.