Baseball: Downers Grove North ousts WW South
Downers Grove North pitcher Ryan Cantlin was prepared to keep Wheaton Warrenville South scoreless for as long as it took to win the baseball game.
Five innings pretty much did the job, and then he added a sixth.
The Trojans exploded for 9 runs in the final two innings of Monday's 10-0, six-inning victory over visiting WW South in the Class 4A Plainfield East regional quarterfinals.
Fifteenth-seeded Downers North (17-18) advances to the regional semifinals to face No. 2 Hinsdale South (29-6) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Plainfield. The Hornets beat Downers North 9-3 in a West Suburban Conference crossover game last Tuesday.
"The first couple of innings I was just trying to keep it 0-0," Cantlin said. "After we got the lead I pretty much settled in. Our last two games we've played pretty clean. We're playing good baseball here at the end."
Cantlin, who struck out six and walked none while scattering 4 hits, and Tigers counterpart Ryan King cruised through the bulk of the first four innings. The one bump in the road was a third-inning solo home run by the Trojans' David Giuliano, who went 3-for-4.
The first seven batters reached base for the Trojans in the bottom of the fifth before Grant Negris came in to relieve for WW South (6-23) and retired all three batters he faced. By that time, however, Downers North scored 6 runs to build a 7-0 lead on RBI singles by Brendan Shanahan and James Krick, and then a 3-run triple by Dallton Baran.
"It was quick how that inning opened up," said WW South coach Tim Brylka. "That kind of typifies our season. We haven't been hitting the ball real well, and we can't afford to give up innings like that. It becomes really tough for us to come back."
Downers North scored 3 runs in the sixth to end the game. Krick doubled home 2 runs before Matt King won it with an RBI fielder's choice.
Shanahan went 3-for-4 for Downers North while Nick Howland had 2 hits for the Tigers.
"It all starts with (Cantlin)," said Trojans coach Chad Isacson. "He competes. He throws multiple pitches for strikes. He fields his position and he keeps the game moving. It was a great effort out there."
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