10th Annual WJOL/Don Ladas Area Invite Quarterfinals

Lockport 11, Joliet West 2
Lockport (6-3) trounced Southwest Suburban Conference Blue Division rival Joliet West (1-3) at Lockport. The Porters exploded for six runs in the top of the third, highlighted by a grand slam to left by junior Tyler Hair. Senior C Jake Stanton followed with a solo bomb to center and the Porters led 6-0. UIC-bound RHP Noah Masa allowed no earned runs in his five scoreless inning allowing three hits and striking out 11 to pick up the win. Masa (1-0) struck out seven consecutive West hitters. Senior RHP Russ Hoh wrapped up the victory with a scoreless sixth and seventh, striking out two and allowing two hits.  

Joliet Catholic Academy 9, Plainfield South 2
(See Senior Writer Drake Skleba’s Game Story)

Midwest Classic at Grand Park, IN
No. 2 St. Laurence 14, Carroll (IN) 2
St. Laurence (8-0) crushed their Hoosier hosts in the first game of the Midwest Classic at the brand-new Grand Park in Westfield. With 45-mile an hour winds and 36-degree temperatures, the Vikings  were unfazed as they scored six runs in each the third and fourth innings to end the first-round game in five innings. And they did so against one of the top senior right-handers in Indiana, Taylor Goshen, a Wichita State recruit who opened the game 86-88 mph with a sharp 75-mph slider. .Purdue-bound Mike Kornacker had two doubles and drove home three for the Vikes, while red-hot Roger Wilson had three more hits, including a double and two RBI. Frank Greco singled, doubled and drove home three while Rob Gutierrez tripled and plated a Viking run. John Riordan chipped in with a single and two RBI. NIU-bound RHP Brad Wood (3-0) fired a four-hitter, allowing two runs with seven strikeouts.  

Highland Park 3, No. 22 Chatham Glenwood 2
Highland Park (3-1) rallied past the hosts at South Park in Chatham. Trailing 2-0 as the game went to the sixth, the Giants bats awoke. Mills Justin singled to right and David Joseph followed with a one out single. With two out David Hochstadt singled to load the bases for John Simone heroics, as he ripped a line-drive to right scoring two and tying the game at 2-2. Highland Park winning RHP Zach Nankin shutdown Glenwood in the bottom of the sixth. In the Giant seventh, Nankin ripped a double and his courtesy runner Stern Noah, would score the eventual game-winner on an RBI single from Sam Nevers. Nankin would slam the door on the Glenwood (5-1) in the seventh to pick up the win.

Friday's roundup also includes reports on: Bloomington Central Catholic, Aurora Christian, Libertyville, Batavia, Carmel, Ridgewood, Naz, Huntley, Highland Park, O'Fallon, Loyola, Normal West, Cary Grove, Plainfield North, Barrington, Prairie Ridge, St. Francis, Mount Vernon, Lake Zurich, Kaneland and more ...