Burlington Central knocks off 5th Class 4A opponent

The dream season rolls on for the Burlington Central baseball team, which won its 16th straight game Saturday by roughing up yet another Class 4A opponent.

The Rockets, who compete in Class 3A, scored 5 runs in the second inning to jump to a 6-0 lead against Huntley, and pitcher Sam Klein limited the Red Raiders to 1 unearned run on 5 hits in a 10-1 complete-game victory on Rocket Hill.

Huntley (18-5), which last year won 30 games and a Class 4A regional title and currently leads the Valley Division of the baseball-rich Fox Valley Conference, became the fifth Class 4A school victimized by Burlington Central (22-1). The Rockets have beaten Class 4A schools Hinsdale South, Glenbard North, Batavia, Larkin and Huntley by a combined score of 58-33.

"We were looking forward to this game for a long time," said Klein (7-0), who struck out seven without a walk. "The main thing was to come out and compete and get a win. That's all we wanted to do."

Klein was in command from the start. The junior right-hander threw off the timing of Huntley's hitters by changing speeds from pitch to pitch.

"I thought (Klein) changed his velocity, both on his fastball and his changeup, very well," said Huntley senior Phil Pupillo, whose two-out single in the sixth inning accounted for the Red Raiders' only run. "He kept us off balance. We were on our front foot."

Huntley starting pitcher Jeremy Ahillen (4-1) absorbed his first defeat. The Rockets touched him for a run in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Ehlers (2-for-3, 2 RBI). They knocked him out of the game in the second inning, when they scored 5 runs on 5 hits, aided by a 2-run error. A double by Zack Romando (3-for-5, 2 RBI) and singles by Klein and Ehlers fueled that rally.

Central led 7-0 in the third inning after Drew Stover's home run to left, and the prolific batting order added a run in the fifth and 2 more in the sixth to breach the 10-run plateau for the 11th time in 23 games.

"They hit the heck out of the ball," said Huntley assistant Jerry Modlinski, speaking for coach Andy Jakubowski, who left immediately after the game for a family obligation. "They came out and really did a great job. They flat-out beat us. They're 22-1, and you could see why. They played well. They hit the ball, and their pitcher changed speeds on us real well. We just couldn't adjust."

At the plate, Klein went 3-for-5 with 2 RBI, sophomore Tanner Scott was 3-for-5 with 2 doubles and catcher Austin Jarvis (10 HRs, 56 RBI) was walked three times, once intentionally. Central had 14 hits.

"Baseball is a game where you don't get too high, don't get too low," Klein said. "But we've got a lot of confidence right now."

The decisive victory over such a quality opponent was yet another feather in the Rockets' collective cap, and it came at a good time: Coaches will vote on seeds for the Class 3A Hampshire regional on Wednesday.