Baseball: Costabile’s perfect day lifts Stevenson over Warren

Frank Costabile helped open up Stevenson’s offense and shut down Warren’s attack in Tuesday afternoon’s North Suburban Conference baseball game in Lincolnshire.

Costabile singled during a quick 5-run, third-inning outburst en route to going 3-for-3 with a homer and 2 RBI. The hard-throwing sophomore right-hander also had 6 strikeouts in 2⅓ innings to save a 9-4 victory for the defending NSC co-champion Patriots (9-6, 3-0) and starter and winner Nick Rayyan.

“I think we’re starting to come together as a team, although there are always things you can improve on,” Costabile said. “We’re definitely picking guys up and not leaving them stranded (on the bases). It’s a very positive dugout.”

With good reason as Rayyan allowed only 1 earned run with 5 strikeouts in 4⅔ innings and had a 2-run double as the Patriots saw only 11 pitches to turn a scoreless game into a 5-0 lead in the third. Sophomore Ryan Martin (2-for-3) started it with a single and Eastern Illinois-bound Brandon Schultz put them ahead to stay with an RBI double.

But a sacrifice bunt by Brayden Fell and a sacrifice by Ryan Harris that was misplayed by Warren (3-5, 0-2) were crucial and epitomized the pressure fifth-year Stevenson coach Nick Skala, who got his 100th victory last week, wants to put on opponents.

“It’s a wide-open race and it will come down to who’s on that day,” Skala said of a league that graduated 100-plus seniors. “With this group we can easily win a regional. That’s our goal but it’s definitely going to take some work.”

Warren understands with no returning starters from a 28-win team. But senior catcher Liam Wiley went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and 2-run homer, Jose Berrios had 2 hits and Camden Meno had an RBI single and made a nice backhand running catch at the left-field fence.

“That makes you excited and the kids are doing the best they can,” said Warren coach Clint Smothers, who also liked what he saw from sophomore pitchers Peyton Balanag and Braylan McCarthy. “They’re playing hard and playing competitively. Once we quit giving up free runs I think we can compete with anybody.”

Warren trailed 6-3 with the tying run on deck and two outs in the fifth when Costabile came in to end the threat with a strikeout. The only run he allowed was unearned.

“I like pressure and that gets me hyped up,” Costabile said. “To be going out there for my teammates, I love it. It’s my favorite spot.”

Costabile and the Patriots hope to be in more of them the rest of the way.