Townsend pitches Libertyville to victory
Robbed of a home run, not by a defensive gem but rather a balk, Libertyville’s Darwin Townsend still had reason to smile following the Wildcats’ must-win game at Mundelein on Wednesday.
Another long ball, this one hit by Mundelein’s Chris Maranto, who represented the tying run, was caught in deep right field for the final out, securing Libertyville’s 5-3 win that kept the Wildcats in the thick of the North Suburban Lake Division race.
Better yet for Townsend, he threw 6 shutout innings of 3-hit ball in front of Augustana College’s baseball coach, who just received a verbal commitment from the senior right-hander.
“He threw beautifully,” said Libertyville’s Matt Vogt, who was 2-for-4 and squeezed the last out in right field. “He hit his spots well and mixed it up. Hitters were out in front. They didn’t know when the curveball was coming. They didn’t know when the fastball was coming. He pitched to contact, and he was successful.”
Libertyville’s successful finish, albeit it had to survive a 3-run bottom of the seventh, moved the Wildcats to 15-8 and 6-2 in the NSC Lake. Mundelein, which pounded Libertyville 15-3 in five innings Tuesday, fell to 21-4 and 7-1.
While it was the Mustangs’ first divisional loss, it wasn’t the first time they lost to Townsend during his three-year varsity pitching career.
“He’s had our number,” Mundelein coach Todd Parola said. “He competed his butt off today. He deserved to win.”
Townsend got no credit for a Matt Langlie fastball that he golfed onto Midlothian Road in the third inning. Anthony Mack (3-for-4, 2 doubles) was on second base with two out. A split-second before Langlie delivered his pitch, the home-plate umpire called a balk. Langlie still threw, and Townsend still swung.
“It didn’t go in my head that play stopped,” Townsend said. “So I just went with it.”
Parola said he remembers the same thing happening to his former player Nick Czerkies more than 10 years ago.
Langlie wasn’t about to give Townsend another low fastball that he could hit hard. Langlie struck out Townsend swinging on the next pitch.
“He threw a curveball and I was way out in front,” Townsend said with a sheepish grin. “He made me look foolish.”
Langlie allowed 3 straight singles to Townsend, Vogt and Kevin McQuillen (2-for-3, double) to start the top of the second. But 2 errors on one play, after Langlie got a fielder’s choice for the first out, plated the game’s first two runs.
Libertyville went up 3-0 in the fourth on an RBI single by Michael Coutre. The twin brother of Villanova-recruit Nick Coutre, Michael took advantage of a rare start. It was his groundball, which was booted, that resulted in the Wildcats’ first run. He later drew a walk.
“I love Mikey,” Townsend said. “That’s the kind of kid he is. He never gives up, never stops working. It’s just like Nick, too. He’s the hardest-working kid you’ll ever see. Mikey’s always got a good attitude, never says anything bad. He’s always positive. He’s just a great teammate, and to see him do well, that’s awesome.”
Mack’s run-scoring double in the fifth and Townsend’s RBI fielder’s choice in the seventh had Libertyville up 5-0. Townsend’s day on the mound was done after he got his fifth strikeout with two on in the bottom of the sixth.
“Five-run lead, there’s no reason to not pull him at that point,” Libertyville coach Jim Schurr said.
Michael Rogers came on to pitch the bottom of the seventh for Libertyville, but Will Farmer touched the 6-foot-5 lefty with a leadoff single. After an out, back-to-back RBI doubles by Ryan Borucki and Mitchell Schulewicz and a run-scoring groundout by Thomas Gandolfi had Mundelein within 5-3.
Jordan Wiegold then singled, bringing up the Butler-bound Maranto.
Schurr stuck with the Rogers, who had a shaky seventh inning in a loss against Wauconda last Friday.
“That was a confidence thing for him,” Schurr said. “He needed that. He was around the plate with every pitch. It wasn’t like he walked guys.”
Maranto battled before hitting the ball hard to right — “probably 2-3 feet from the warning track,” Vogt said.
Langlie took the loss, despite allowing just 1 earned run in his 5 innings.
“Matt throws strikes. That’s why he pitches,” Parola said. “He’s not overpowering, but he never walks anybody and puts it in play. Our defense has been outstanding all year, but today it hurt us.”