No. 19 Hinsdale South Completes the Sweep of Downers Grove South

April 18, 2016

By Drew Locascio
Illinois Scouting Director

No. 19 Hinsdale South 8, Downers Grove South 6

DOWNERS GROVE, IL - The No. 19 Hornets headed into Monday’s matchup with Downers Grove South looking for the three game sweep of the Mustangs.

Offense was the story in this game, especially early on, as Downers Grove South (7-6) led Hinsdale South (15-2), 5-4 after two innings. Hinsdale South jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the top half of the first inning. Senior Mike Nicosia led off with a single and Zach Duffy reached on an error. Following a strike out and a couple of passed balls the Hornets had runners on second and third with second baseman Terrence Cribbs at the plate. Cribbs took an elevated off-speed pitch and hit it off of the left-field wall for a two-run double. Cribbs was eventually scored after a two-out single from Tim Dziergas.

Downers Grove South came right back with two of their own runs in the bottom half of the first. Sophomore center fielder Nick Stacey hit a leadoff triple to right-center field to get things going for the Mustangs. The following hitter Corey Vondra hit a sacrifice flyball to score Stacey. Danny Oriente, a Louisville commit, then singled, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher and scored when Jack Villa reached on an error.

The Hornets answered back in the top half of the second inning scoring another run to stretch the lead to 4-2. Nicosia once again sparked the Hornets with a single to left after fouling a number of tough pitches off. He later would score on a sacrifice fly by Cribbs. With two runners in scoring position and two outs, the Hornets had a chance to do more damage but a line drive to left center by Aaron Frueh was tracked down in the left-center field gap for the final out of the inning.

Sophomore catcher Brett Riegler began a three-run rally for the Mustangs in the bottom of the second with a clean single to right field. Following a single by Robert Justus, the Mustangs had runners at the corners with one out. A wild pitch scored Riegler from third and Justus advanced to second. Later in the inning, with two outs and Justus still in scoring position, Vondra hit a groundball to shortstop. The routine looking groundball took a wicked hop, bouncing high in the air and barely getting over the outstretched arm of Danny Schimmel, the Hornet shortstop. The unconventional RBI single scored Justus and kept the inning alive for the Mustangs. Oriente followed Vondra, this time with a clean single to left field. The clean single got by the left fielder and allowed Vondra to score all the way from first base giving the Mustangs a 5-4 lead after two complete.

The game would calm down from there until the Hornets came to bat in the top of the sixth inning trailing 6-4. The Hornets scored four runs in the frame, all starting after Jake Nipperus, a North Park commit, got hit by a pitch with one out. Nicosia, next up, singled and Duffy hit a single of his own scoring Nipperus. Next up was pinch hitter Jaxon Herchenbach, who hit a shallow fly ball to Oriente in right field. Nicosia tagged from third base, testing Oriente who threw a low bullet to the plate. The throw was on target and looked be a perfect long hop to the catcher. However, when the ball hit the grass in front of home it took a nasty hop, careening over the catcher, allowing the tying run to score. The final blow of the inning came when Frueh hit a line-drive two-run single, to center field giving the Hornets an 8-6 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth, Hinsdale South turned the ball over to right-handed pitcher Jaxon Herchenbach. He threw the final two innings, picking up the save and giving the Hornets the 8-6 victory. It also completed the Hornets three game sweep of Downers Grove South.

Statistical Highlights

+ RF Mike Nicosia (Hinsdale South) – 4-for-5, 3R, SB
+ CF Zach Duffy (Hinsdale South) – 2-for-5, 2R, 2SB, RBI
+ 2B Terrence Cribbs (Hinsdale South) – 2-for-2, 2B, 3RBI, 2R
+ 1B Tim Dziergas (Hinsdale South) – 3-for-4, RBI
+ DH Aaron Frueh (Hinsdale South) - 1-for-4, Game-winning RBI
+ RHP Jaxon Herchenbach (Hinsdale South) – 2IP, 1H, 0R, K
+ RF Danny Oriente (Downers Grove South) – 3-for-4, RBI, 2R, SB
+ 3B Corey Vondra (Downers Grove South) – 1-for-3, 2RBI, R
+ RHP Jeremy Canfield (Downers Grove South) – 2IP, 3H, 0R, K