Baseball: Kaneland's Conklin blanks Sycamore
After his team lost to Sycamore in 11 innings Friday, Kaneland pitcher Tyler Conklin wanted the ball and wanted to make sure the rematch went differently.
Conklin pitched seven shutout innings, striking out nine Spartans, as the Knights got their split of the season series with Sycamore with a 1-0 Interstate 8 Conference win Monday.
"I thought he had great command, and it allowed him to complete the game," Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. "He wanted the ball. He absolutely wanted the ball from the last game. He was [upset] after [Friday], and he was like, 'I want the ball, it's mine and we're going to get it.'"
The Spartans beat the Knights, 7-3, in 11 innings Friday, a game that entered the 11th tied at 1. The win put the Spartans (11-6, 7-3 Interstate 8) alone in first place in the conference, but the Knights (12-6, 7-3) tied them for the lead with the win Monday. Ottawa also entered Monday with three conference losses.
"After losing in 11, it definitely [stunk]," Conklin said. "I knew we had to come out and win this game to hopefully win conference now, splitting, 1-1. It was definitely a big game."
After Ethan Storm shut down the Knights through six innings, Keifer Tarnoki came on to pitch the seventh. Zach Vancura drew a one-out walk, then with two outs Sebastian Cabeza walked. Conklin grounded to short and the throw was wild, allowing Vancura to score the game's only run.
"It was the same feeling as Friday, that this might go for awhile," Aversa said. "If we can just get one. We had the opportunity, and the kid took the long throw instead of the short one. Putting pressure on them, putting the ball in play is what we have to do."
Although Kaneland had Conklin throwing a no-hitter, Sycamore - the home team and official book - had a one-hitter for the Knights' ace. And the play in question was the best scoring chance for the Spartans.
Tarnoki led off the sixth with a hard-hit ball to shortstop. Dylan Conklin ranged over, bobbled it, and threw to first, missing Tarnoki by a step.
"We're the home team, so it's officially a hit," Sycamore coach Jason Cavanaugh said. "He can take the no-hitter if he wants for his own personal thing. But that's not an ordinary effort play for a shortstop to make."
Blake Novinsky bunted him over, and then a wild pitch moved him up to third. Owen Piazza - who had the tiebreaking double Friday against the Knights - popped up to shallow left field. Alex Pancio charged and let a rocket rip toward the plate, but Tarnoki stayed at third.
Cavanaugh said he had sent Tarnoki on the play.
"You can't sit around. [Tyler Conklin has] only thrown one ball to the backstop the entire game, and that was a couple pitches ago. He's smart enough not to do that again," Cavanaugh said. "So we knew that was going to happen. And with two outs, you're relying on a hit from the batter, who everybody is going to struggle against a pitcher like that. It would have been a bang-bang play at the plate."
Cavanaugh said he was impressed with Conklin's performance against the Spartans, which saw him go after Sycamore in order to keep his pitch count down, staying under the limit of 105 in the game.
He said that he was keeping Storm, a junior, on a shorter leash than Aversa kept on Conklin, a senior.
"I wasn't going to push Storm as far as they were willing to push [Conklin]," Cavanaugh said. "I actually let him go five pitches more than I wanted to. In my mind he had a limit of 90 pitches, but it took 95 for him to finish six innings, which is the longest we had a starter go. He's a junior in high school, there's a good chance he's a college pitcher, and he's just not as mature in his mind and his body as the Division I pitcher is on the mound."
Storm struck out nine and walked three. Kaneland managed three hits off him, two by Brady Popovich.
"We pitched great," Cavanaugh said. "We didn't swing the bats particularly well, but I think a lot of that had something to do with the guy on the mound for the other team. I think he's a legitimate Division I college pitcher who came after us."