St. Charles North blasts Larkin again
Thirteen has been a lucky number for the St. Charles North baseball team against Larkin this week.
A day after the North Stars tagged the Royals for 13 runs in the second inning of a 15-1 victory, the North Stars erupted for 13 in the third inning of Tuesday's 18-1 Upstate Eight win in Elgin.
"If we get one hit in our lineup, everyone feeds off of it," said No. 7 hitter Matt Stevens (3-for-3), who doubled and singled in the third inning. "If one person goes, it's like a fire up the ladder."
The win was the fifth straight for St. Charles North (16-3, 8-2). Larkin (4-16, 3-9) dropped its seventh straight.
The Royals actually led 1-0 after they scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first. Drew Shore and Trevor Whitehead led off with singles, and Shore scored from third when Whitehead stole second and the throw got away.
The North Stars scored twice in the second inning to take the lead against Larkin starter Scott Harm (1-4). Andrew Elliot drove in a pair with a two-out hit, a common occurrence in the elongated third inning.
St. Charles North had already scored 2 runs in the third on a sacrifice fly by starting pitcher Kevin Borst and a groundout by John Brodner to take a 4-1 lead. But getting the third out proved highly elusive for Larkin as 12 straight North Stars reached base with two away.
The inning turned into a whopper: 19 batters, 13 runs, 12 hits and 4 walks. North doubled four times in the inning, and Brodner made it 15-1 with his 3-run home run to left.
The big inning has become a recurring nightmare for the Royals. Last week, they allowed 12 runs in the first inning of a 25-2 loss to St. Charles East.
"We just need to make a decision," Larkin coach Matt Esterino said. "We're trying, but that's not enough. Now, we have to start executing and playing like we can because we have to get sick of this. I mean, we really have to get sick of it before something changes. We want to win, no doubt about it. The kids are trying, but trying's not enough right now. We need to execute and get after it like we can."
Borst, who had to warm up during the top of the third inning to stay loose, held the Royals to no earned runs on 2 hits in 3 innings. He struck out five without a walk to improve to 3-2 this season. Reliever Ryan Jones struck out three in 2 scoreless innings.
The emphatic sweep gives the North Stars momentum heading into 3-game series against Streamwood (12-6, 6-3).
"We've started to zone in again and I'm excited," St. Charles North coach Todd Genke said. "This is a big week for us. We've got a big series coming up against Streamwood. This is what separates the contenders from the pretenders. I'm hoping these two games will springboard us."