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U-High Wins Two In Triple Header at ISU's Duffy Bass Field

March 29, 2015

By Ryan Quigley
Illinois Scouting Director

NORMAL, IL – Saturday at Duffy Bass Field on the campus of Illinois State University Normal University High hosted a triple header, featuring Normal University High School, Rochester, and Herscher.

We were in attendance for the first game of the day, a thrilling 2-1 victory by U-High over Rochester. Locked at 1-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pioneers’ designated hitter Ryan Scott reached base on an infield error and promptly stole second base. After a flyout moved Scott, a walk put runners on first and second with left fielder Zach Falasz stepping to the plate. Falasz executed a perfect safety squeeze to the right side towards first base, as Rochester reliever Adam Bunch was unable to scoop the baseball to home plate in time to nab Scott, giving the Pioneers a hard fought 2-1 victory.

U-High skipper Steve Paxson said, “With runners on first-and-third and the first baseman having to hold the runner it was a textbook situation for a safety squeeze with a right-handed pitcher on the mound. We had good speed at third base and Zach laid down the perfect bunt.”

The first six innings were a pitching duel between Rochester senior righthander Tyler Schlecht and U-High’s hulking 6-foot-6 righthander Austin Galindo. Schlecht threw six innings of four-hit ball, allowing one run in the second inning as Galindo scored following a double by U-High third baseman John Rink.

Galindo threw four scoreless innings allowing only two hits, four walks with five strikeouts. On Galindo's growth Paxson added, "He's coming of age. He battled back when he fell behind in the count, and his fastball/slider combination was really good today. He commanded both pitches and the hard slider is turning into an "out" pitch". U-High’s Kyler Ummel relieved Galindo and earned the win in relief, but not before wiggling out of a key jam in the top of the fifth.

Ummel walked the first two batters he faced, and Rochester loaded the bases thanks to a drag bunt single by junior shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald. With no outs, senior two-hole hitter Tyler Fisher grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring a run, but helping U-High avoid a big inning. On the decision to play the infield back coach Paxson added, “We have confidence in our middle infielders (senior shortstop Nick Mosele and sophomore second baseman Billy Mote) and they make big plays when we need them. We wanted to avoid the big inning there and we are definitely learning a lot about ourselves early this season.”

U-High impressed defensively, and was aided by junior catcher Zach Frey’s right-arm behind the play. Frey cut down two Rockets’ baserunners, one on a back pick at second base, another on a runner attempting to steal second.

U-High improves to 6-0 on the season after Saturday mornings win, while Rochester dropped to 0-2.

In game two of the day, Rochester slipped by Herscher 3-2 thanks to a walk-of single to left field by sophomore Sam Baker, who also doubled earlier. Tyler Fitzgerald added an RBI triple off the wall to left-center to tie the game at two in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Parker Flynn got the win for the Rockets, their first of the season.

In the nightcap, U-High pounded out 10 hits and 13 runs, aided by six Herscher errors, to win 13-2 in a shortened, 5-inning affair. Junior right-hander Zach Frey starred on the mound and at the plate. Frey earned the win on the mound allowing two runs in four innings with five strikeouts. He aided his cause going three-for-four at the plate with four RBI, and two runs scored. Junior outfielder Austin Galindo continued his torrid hitting going two-for-three with two doubles two RBI and two runs scored. Ryan Scott also went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double. Herscher drops to 2-2 on the season while U-High improved to 7-0.

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