Baseball: Huntley's 7th-inning rally beats Naperville Central

There was a playoff vibe in the air and, who knows, maybe these two elite programs do meet again later this spring in the state tournament.

But Saturday was just a nonconference, rainy ballgame at Naperville Central, one which went down to the wire before visiting Huntley scored four times in the seventh on its way to a 4-1 victory for the 21-1 Red Raiders.

The Huntley offense couldn't get much going against the Redhawks and starter Kyle Steele, who pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings while looking to improve to 6-0 on the year. The Red Raiders, however, had just enough offense and speed to muster up a big late rally to pull out the contest.

"I think we started off a little shaky. But with the field conditions we just had to put the ball in play and see what happens. We have a lot of team speed so we were just trying to make something happen," said Huntley shortstop Tyler Castro, who singled and scored in the key seventh inning and finished 2-for-4.

Speed played a big role for the Red Raiders, who didn't hit the ball all that hard while pushing across the winning runs in the final frame. No. 9 hitter Nick Martino reached on a throwing error to start the rally, and one out later Huntley followed with a single by Castro and then a walk, fielder's choice, sac fly and a swinging bunt.

The fielder's choice off the bat of Brandon Hanley didn't result in an out when Ryan Bakes beat the throw to second. That play was followed by RBIs from Ryan Kelly and Brayden Bakes and a 1-0 deficit quickly turned into a 4-1 lead for Huntley.

"Our pitching battled a lot," Castro said. "Obviously the mound was not ideal, but they battled through so we were able to pull one out. We finally found our stride in the seventh. We put balls in play and used our speed."

Red Raiders freshman starter Malachi Paplanus pitched four solid innings but trailed 1-0 after a Pambo Nicoloudes bloop single plated JT Albrecht in the bottom of the third. Relievers Jake Jakubowski and Michael Vitellaro blanked the DVC front-runners the rest of the way, but not before escaping a second and third, one-out jam in the sixth.

"We pride ourselves on pitching and defense and our staff has done a great job this year," said Huntley coach Andy Jakubowski. "It's a great group of guys. Sometimes it's not the prettiest but they find a way."

Naperville Central assistant coach Ken Keiner, who managed the team in Mike Stock's absence, liked what he saw from his starting pitcher. "Kyle threw a great game. He mixed in three pitches and was able to throw his off-speed pitch for strikes," he said. "It had a regional final, sectional semifinal feel to it. Huntley's ranked at the top of the state and we want that challenge. We want to take on all comers."

"It was a fun game," said Steele after Central fell to 15-4 on the year. "It felt pretty good out there. I just wish we could have gotten the W. I hope we see them again. It would be a fun matchup."