Baseball: Cary-Grove's McCumber throws perfect game at Dundee-Crown

Lightning does strike twice.

Cary-Grove baseball coach Don Sutherland said in his 29 seasons he didn't remember a Trojans pitcher throwing a perfect game prior to Daniel Schmidt throwing one on April 5 at Woodstock.

The veteran coach only had to wait 24 days to see another.

Cary-Grove junior right-hander Matt McCumber relied on well-located fastballs and his sharp curveball to achieve perfection against Fox Valley Conference Valley Division leader Dundee-Crown on Friday in a 1-0 victory in Carpentersville.

"It feels great," said McCumber, committed to Northern Illinois. "My defense just did a great job backing me up. I'm extremely excited."

McCumber (4-3) reversed a recent trend of shaky outings in which he struggled with command of his curveball. For instance, on April 20 the second-year varsity pitcher allowed 7 earned runs on 8 hits and 4 walks in 2 innings of a 12-11 loss to Notre Dame.

Against Dundee-Crown (12-7, 7-2) he threw the curveball for strikes throughout, including as the out pitch for a pair of caught-looking strikeouts in the second inning.

"I just worked on getting it down," he said after throwing 48 of 67 pitches for strikes. "I threw it a few extra times early on and got it over the plate."

"We worked on that in the bullpen," said junior backstop Tyler Pennington, who has caught 2 perfect games in the same season. "He struggled with that a little bit the past couple of starts and that's really what's gotten him. He really found it early and used it often."

McCumber trumped Dundee-Crown sophomore left-hander Erik Hedmark (2-1), who threw a gem in his own right. Hedmark held Cary-Grove (14-7, 5-2) to an earned run on 4 hits in 7 innings, issued 1 walk and struck out 6 in an 85-pitch outing. Hedmark's performance would be the big story most days. He was simply upstaged.

"Erik went out with a game plan, executed the game plan and stuck with it," D-C coach Jon Anderson said. "Unfortunately, their kid had a great outing so you have to tip your cap to him. I've never been part of a perfect game like that so it's kind of cool. At the same time I would rather it be our pitcher."

The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth. The Trojans loaded the bases on a leadoff single by No. 9 batter Dom Calamari, a sacrifice bunt that Quinn Celske beat out and a one-out walk to Tyler Pennington made intentional after the count reached 3-1 with first base open.

Hedmark fanned Cary-Grove cleanup hitter Mark Smith for the second out, but on a 2-2 pitch he beaned Tom Neilson in the shin to force Calamari in from third base with the game's only run.

"You have no idea how much I want that pitch back," said Hedmark, who despite absorbing his first loss lowered his ERA to 1.09 in 25⅔ innings.

McCumber did the rest. In the top of the seventh, the 6-foot-3, 178-pound hurler fell behind in the count 3-1 against D-C leadoff man Nick Musielewicz only to rebound for the strikeout.

Then came the closest call of the game. D-C's speedy Sean Jay hit a groundball to Cary-Grove's Smith at third base, but the ball caromed off Smith's glove and to his left. The senior pounced on the ball and fired to first to nip Jay by half a step for the second out.

"Anywhere it goes, we just had to make the play," Smith said.

McCumber then got No. 3 hitter Danny Denz, a left-hander, to tap one back to the mound. The pitcher threw to first baseman Dallas McDonough to seal his history making performance and was quickly enveloped by celebrating teammates.

"You have to give him a lot of credit because he's been struggling with his control," Sutherland said. "But, man, he was on fire."