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No. 4 Lemont, Latz win pitcher's duel against No. 16 Sandburg

April 18, 2014

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Director – Illinois/Wisconsin

ORLAND PARK, IL – In one of the better pitching duels we’ve seen this season, Lemont’s Jake Latz edged out Sandburg’s  Matthias Dietz, 1-0, in a nonconference game Friday morning.

In the much-anticipated matchup, both pitchers clearly brought their A-games to the yard. Dietz, a senior RHP committed to John A. Logan, took the mound first and struck out the side, touching 90 mph on several occasions. In the bottom half, the LSU-bound Latz returned the favor, striking out the side on 15 straight fastballs, topping out at 89 mph. It was clear from the get-go that runs would be tough to come by.

Both pitchers tallied two more punch outs in the second. After an uneventful third inning, Lemont (11-0) scratched one across in the fourth. LSU commit Mike Papierski led things off after getting plunked by a Dietz curveball. Papierski stole second, putting him into scoring position for cleanup hitter and Houston commit Mike Wisz. Three pitches later, Wisz poked a single to right, scoring Papierski with ease.

That one run proved to be enough for Latz, as he continued to carve through the Eagle lineup with his fastball-curveball combination and did not allow a runner to second base the rest of the way. Latz cruised through the middle innings; smelling the finish line in the seventh, he struck out the side, getting his fastball back up to 88 mph.

Latz finished with 14 strikeouts, walking one batter, and allowing four hits. Not to be outdone, Dietz put up an equally impressive line, striking out nine while allowing only two hits and walking one. Sandburg dropped to 9-4 on the season.

Check the Illinois Scout Blog later for reports on both pitchers.

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