Slota stellar in Lakes' shutout win
Chase Slota dominated Grant en route to a 6-0 victory for Lakes' baseball team Wednesday.
Slota allowed just 1 hit, a bloop single to shallow right, and struck out six hitters, as the Eagles improved to 12-8 and 6-2 in the North Suburban Prairie Division.
Grant fell to16-5 and 6-2 in the division.
Lakes, Grant and Vernon Hills share first place, as each team is 6-2 in the division.
Lakes scored 4 runs in the bottom of the second, benefiting from 4 walks and 2 hit batters.
Grant mounted its only threat in the fourth, when Slota walked the first hitter of the inning and then allowed Grant's only hit of the game to put runners on first and second. The inning was thwarted when Slota struck out Illinois State-bound Simeon Lucas on three straight pitches and then got Cincinnati-bound Ryan Noda to line into a double play.
Lakes added two more runs in its half of the fourth. After Brad Borzick led off the inning with a ground-rule double, Justin Corona reached on an error, which scored Borzick. Cody Nuxoll then put down a sacrifice bunt to move Corona to second.
A balk moved Corona to third, and then Joe Sisk came through with a single.
Slota retired nine of the last 10 hitters he faced to end the game.
Stevenson 16, Zion-Benton 0: Mitchell Goll was two outs away from pitching a five-inning perfect game.
A double into the left-center field gap ended that bid, but the Patriots senior still earned the win in the North Suburban Lake game.
Goll settled for a 1-hitter, getting 13 of his 15 outs on strikeouts.
Host Stevenson (10-9, 4-4) was led offensively by Sam Harris (2-for-2, 3 RBI), Michael Banakis (2-for-2, 3 runs), Sean Wilson (2-for-3), Goll (2-for-3, 3 RBI) and Jack Joseph (2-for-2, 3 runs). Each of those five players doubled.
Wauconda 8, Vernon Hills 2: The visiting Bulldogs turned the tables on the Cougars to take the second game of the North Suburban Prairie series.
Kyle Harmon was the story of the day as he dominated both on the mound and at the plate for Wauconda (7-13, 5-3). Harmon threw 6 innings, allowing only 2 hits while striking out nine. He also hit a home-run and drove in 4 runs.
Ben Peterson went 4-for-4 with a triple and double for Wauconda, while Harmon and Collin Shrader were both 2-for-4.
Nick Newman took his first loss of the season for Vernon Hills (18-6, 6-2).
Lake Zurich 5, Warren 0: Left-hander Derek Kornfeind fired his second complete-game shutout in a row, as the host Bears beat the Blue Devils in North Suburban Lake action for the second day in a row.
Kornfeind scattered 5 hits, struck out three and walked one in winning his third straight decision.
Nick Jones doubled for Lake Zurich (14-8, 6-4), while Danny Kruger and Danny Neises each had a pair of hits. Neises knocked in 2 runs.
Andrew Nickell had a double for Warren (4-6 NSC Lake).
Johnsburg 5, Grayslake North 2: Bobby Krebs (double) and JP Zalewski each had 2 hits for the Knights in the Fox Valley Conference game.
Grayslake North (10-14, 5-7) got a strong start from Andrew Mikusa, who allowed just 3 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings, striking out eight.