Baseball: Mulhern triples his fun in Palatine victory
With just a few swings, Palatine’s Peter Mulhern made his frustrations disappear.
Mulhern, who had been struggling at the plate and was hitless in 8 at-bats, went a perfect 3-for-3 with a pair of triples Thursday. He also drove in a pair of runs and made a trio of sterling defensive plays at third base to help lead the Pirates to a 6-4 nonconference win over visiting Solorio Academy of the Chicago Public League.
“I was struggling at the dish and trying different things, and nothing seemed to work real well,” said Mulhern, committed to pitch at Wisconsin-Parkside next year.
“Today I just tried to keep everything simple and go to the right side twice. Also, the bunt helped me see the ball a bit more. It feels good.”
It was a good win for Palatine (4-3), which has played close games in all but one of its early-season competitions. Two of the Pirates losses have come in walk-off fashion.
“Every game up to this point has not been easy,” Palatine coach Brent Carroll said. “Even when we have the lead, we seem to let up a few. It has been good to be in these competitive ballgames, because every opportunity is magnified.”
Coached by former Palatine All-Area player Scott Whitcomb, Solario Academy took a 1-0 first-inning lead on a double by Keiber Hernandez.
Palatine tied the game in its half of the first inning. Joe Riley walked and then went all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw. Riley then scored on Ian Serman’s single.
The Pirates took the lead for good in the second. After Owen Hong walked, Mulhern tripled to right center. Mulhern then scored on Jack Houser’s groundout to make it 3-1.
After the Sun Warriors (2-4) closed the gap on a sacrifice fly by Antonio Licea in the third, Palatine got the run back in the fifth. Riley, who singled to lead off the inning, came sprinting home on Sherman’s double to make it 4-2.
Solorio made a strong push in the sixth.
With two outs the Sun Warriors parlayed a single, a walk and another hit to score a run and put runners on second and third. Josiah Saucedo lofted a bloop fly to short right field. The ball appeared to have eyes until Riley, who plays second for the Pirates, came out of nowhere to make a diving over the shoulder catch to save two runs and the lead.
“I saw it off the bat and I didn’t get a great jump on it,” Riley said. “It just kept drifting. I got on my horse and I had full extension, and I looked up and it was in my glove.”
Carroll said Riley’s play turned things in the right direction for his team.
“That catch by Joe Riley at second base was definitely a game changer,” Carroll said. “It got us the momentum when we could have given up the lead. It could have been a different game from that point on.”
With momentum back on their side, Mulhern made sure that the Pirates would not let it go.
He drilled his second triple of the game, again to right center. That scored Matt Salata, who had walked. Mulhern then scored on a perfectly executed suicide squeeze by Houser to make it 6-3.
The Pirates got solid pitching from Brandon Ziebell, who came on in relief of Carter Monroe in the second inning after Monroe had some shoulder tightness. Ziebell pitched nearly five innings and allowed just two runs while picking up the win.
“I did not think I was going to pitch today,” Ziebell said. “I had confidence, and I was ready for my moment. I settled in and locked in for my team.”
Whitcomb, who played for Palatine in 2003 and 2004, said it was great to have his team play at his old high school.
“We are a young team, with just one senior starter,” Whitcomb said. “They are just growing game by game, which is why it is great to come out here. It is a beautiful place to play.”