Perry puts them away in 10-0 Geneva win
Talent is trumping experience at Geneva.
That seems to be the story two games into the season. For a team that didn't return more than a handful of innings on the mound, the Vikings sure have found early answers.
A day after AJ Sarantopulos opened the season beating Sandwich 10-1, junior Riley Perry did him one better Friday at Geneva.
Perry tossed a 5-inning no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Glenbard West. The Vikings scored six runs in the fourth and four in the fifth to put an early end to what had been a pitcher's duel through three innings.
Pitching was thought to be a question mark at Geneva after heavy graduation losses. But it looks like coach Matt Hahn has some lively arms to work with.
"That is a good hitting team, traditionally a very well coached team," Hahn said. "So it was exciting to see what Riley did today."
Perry struck out five and walked three. He threw 85 pitches, 44 for strikes.
"Our defense has helped us a lot and our offense is showing that we can hit," said Perry, who pitched about 20 innings on the varsity as a sophomore last season, including a game that he took a no-hitter into the seventh at Burlington Central.
"I think we're going to have a good season."
Perry had 1-2-3 innings in the first and fourth. After Geneva's 6-run fourth inning, he walked the first batter in the fifth and went to a 3-0 count on the next, but came back to retire him and then fan what turned out to be the final two hitters he faced.
"It was hard to come back after that long inning but I got used to it," Perry said. "My fastball was good in the beginning. I got a little cold. got stiff (after the fourth inning). but then my slider was working nice."
Geneva (2-0) broke the game open in the fourth, taking advantage of several Glenbard West (1-1) mistakes, including 3 errors and 5 walks in the inning.
"I don't want to sugarcoat things, we played poorly," Glenbard West coach Brian Wojtun said. "We didn't pitch well, we didn't hit well, we didn't play defense. There is a long way up from here. We have to learn from this, we have to get better. It's only the second game of the season. My big thing is it's not where we are now, it's where we are after game 34, 35."
Two of the errors in the fourth came on pickoff attempts. Alex Sroka started the rally with a single. Ryan Mallon hammered the hardest hit ball of the day, a double to right center.
Jason Adams drove in the first two runs with a single to short center. The next two runs came on errors, then Sroka and Jack Delabar both walked with the bases loaded for the fifth and sixth runs.
Every player in the Geneva lineup either scored a run or had a hit except No. 3 hitter Cory Hofstetter, who didn't see anything to hit with three walks in his four at-bats.
"Other than Cory I wouldn't say we have a superstar in our lineup," Hahn said. "We found different ways to score, patience, got a bunt down, it was nice guys contributed in different ways."
The Vikings drew nine walks from five different pitchers. David Marz took the loss, allowing 4 runs (2 earned) in 3 1/3 innings.
"That's (taking walks) one of the things we preach in practice, make the pitcher throw you a strike you can hit," Hahn said. "That's one of the things we stress with our hitters."