Plainfield Central downs West Chicago
West Chicago senior Brian Sullivan took his first step toward having a more successful baseball season Saturday.
He delivered an opposite field 2-run single to tie the Wildcats' season opener with Plainfield Central in the bottom of the third inning.
"I swung at the first pitch and I missed. I was thinking about I need to hit the ball somewhere to get these runs in," Sullivan said. "I hit it to the right side. It was like a blooper over the first baseman."
The Wildcats could not sustain the momentum, however, and Plainfield Central scored 11 unanswered runs to prevail 14-3 in West Chicago.
Plainfield Central (2-0) scored 3 runs in the fourth and sixth innings and pulled away with a 5-run seventh.
"That (third) inning was our best inning this game," Sullivan said. "Everybody hit the ball and they just hit the ball better. They just had a lot more hits than us."
The Wildcats had 7 hits over the first three innings, climaxing with their 3-run third that tied the game. But they didn't get a hit the rest of the way off starter Justin Willner and relievers Kyle Cockrell and Nick Brechtel. Cockrell fanned five of the seven hitters he faced during the fifth and sixth.
Plainfield Central collected 13 hits and benefitted from six hit batters by two of West Chicago's three pitchers.
"I thought we played well for four innings and then it kind of got away from us a little bit," West Chicago coach Dan McCarthy said. "Hitting six batters certainly doesn't help and then you plug in a few walks and a couple of basehits and then you're looking at 3, 4-run deficit. Then it just got away from us in the seventh inning."
West Chicago junior Garrett Hosticka had 2 hits, including a run-scoring double right before Sullivan's 2-run single. Senior catcher Justin Yackey and juniors Josh Bowen, Matt Dall and Rob Szulczewski also singled.
Sullivan and Yackey are co-captains and among only three returning starters. Hosticka and senior Kyle Olson, the team's No. 1-2 starting pitchers, are slated for the first two days of upcoming games Monday through Thursday.
"We have to hit the ball a little better than we did today. (And) we've got to find some pitching," McCarthy said. "Brian's going to be one of our leaders. He among a couple of kids we're hoping can hit .300 or better for us. The expectations are high. Brian knows what it takes to be successful."
In 2015 Sullivan had 17 runs batted out of the Nos. 7 or 8 spots in the order and played second base and right field. He battled fifth and played second Saturday. He is waiting to decide whether he will play baseball at NCAA Division III Concordia University Wisconsin or attend Illinois State.
"It just all depends on when it comes to deciding time," Sullivan said. "(Last year) I had a lot of RBI where we just scored a run and where I didn't get on base. I'm hoping to get a lot of runs and score a lot of runs."
Catcher and No. 3 hitter Matt Bunetta led Plainfield Central's offensive production by going 4-for-4 with 3 RBI, a 2-run double and a walk.
This was the third annual meeting between the teams. McCarthy is stepping down after this season.
Plainfield Central coach John Rosner played under McCarthy during his freshman and sophomore varsity baseball seasons for Marquette High School in downstate Ottawa and also was his employee for a couple of summers.
"Walking through the cornfields and pulling off the tassels, (McCarthy) used to run the whole detasseling crew," Rosner said. "I know his daughter. She and I are the same age."
Rosner went on to play at the University of Illinois-Chicago and eventually batted right behind current major league player Curtis Granderson, still a close friend to this day.