Big innings keep Willowbrook ahead of Batavia
Big innings were just that for Willowbrook on Monday.
Not just the one the Warriors had at the plate, but the few they avoided while Batavia was hitting.
Scoring all its runs in the bottom of the third inning, Willowbrook held off Batavia 5-3 in their nonconference baseball game in Villa Park.
While the Warriors (1-2) were finally able to celebrate their first win, the Bulldogs (0-3) again came away frustrated after letting several scoring chances slip away.
"We're not doing the little things right," said Bulldogs coach Matt Holm. "Our belief is that 5 runs shouldn't be enough to beat us. We have a power team, we have a hitting team. We didn't do it today."
Willowbrook sure did, at least in the third inning.
After Will Martin and Mike Elgeness singled, a strikeout led to five straight batters reaching base. An error scored the first run before an RBI single by Chris Savas and Nick Cuzzone's 2-run double.
The Warriors added a fifth run on a fielder's choice to give them a 5-1 lead. The Bulldogs had opened the scoring in the top half of the frame on three Willowbrook errors. They scored a second run in the fourth inning when Ryan Welter's infield single drove in Tyler Lindquist, who doubled.
Batavia reliever Kevin Flinn kept the Warriors at bay with 3 scoreless innings, but the damage had been done.
"We swung the bats well today and we took advantage of some guys on base," said Willowbrook coach Steve Gilliam. "We always talk about adding, and we didn't do that. But we came out with the win and that's what's important."
Three Willowbrook pitchers made it happen starting with Cuzzone (1-0), who earned the win with 4 strong innings. After struggling a bit in his first outing last week against Naperville North, the senior scattered 4 hits, struck out four and allowed an earned run.
Steve Cox followed with 2 innings and escaped the game's biggest jam. Batavia loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but came away with just a run on Tim Schofield's fielder's choice that scored Lindquist.
Brian Monette notched the save with a scoreless seventh inning that featured 2 strikeouts. The Bulldogs stranded their sixth runner in scoring position in the final frame.
"Getting all the first game jitters out of my system, I felt a lot better today," Cuzzone said, referring to his start against Naperville North. "We've got a good staff this year. Everyone battled out there. We had a couple of tough situations, but all three of us battled."
BOX SCORE
Willowbrook 5, Batavia 3
Batavia 001 101 0 -3-6-1
Willowbrook 005 000 X -5-10-5
2B: B: Drish, Lindquist; W: Cuzzone.
WP: Cuzzone (1-0); LP: DuQue (0-1); Save: Monette (1).