PBR DAILY ROUNDUP

March 19, 2012

By Drake Skleba

Note: Log on to www.highschoolcube.com for a live webcast of today’s Benet Academy at No. 27 Downers Grove South game at 4:30. The PBR’s Drake Skleba will try to be a colorful color commentator for the first of The Cube’s Illinois High School Baseball Live Webcasts.

No. 1 Providence (1-0) blanked Plainfield East 11-0 in five innings behind University of Notre Dame-bound LHP Zak Kutsulis (1-0). The future Fighting Irish lefty fired four scoreless innings and helped himself with a homer and three RBI. University of Arizona-bound Ryan Koziol also went deep and plated a pair of Celtic runs. 

No. 4 St. Laurence (2-0) whipped Lake View 10-0 in five innings in Burbank on Monday. 6-foot-5 senior LHP Declan McCarron (1-0) fired a five-inning no-hitter with seven strikeouts for the Vikings. Sophomore Mike Kornacker led the Viking attack with three RBI.

No. 7 Simeon (4-0) blasted St. Ignatius 13-0 in five innings on Monday. Super-soph LHP Darius Day (2-0) gave up the first two hits the Wolverines staff has given up all year. Day did extend the Wolverines staff’s consecutive shut-out streak to four games and 20 innings. Day has pitched ten innings without allowing a run. Day struck out 10 Wolfpack hitters in his complete-game masterpiece.

Day's battery-mate, Iowa-bound C Blake Hickman, had three hits, including a double and a triple and plated four Wolverine runs. Louisville recruit junior Corey Ray doubled and tripled in a pair of runs. Juniors Ronell Coleman and Darien Clifton chipped in with a pair of hits and RBIs.

No. 16 Glenbrook North (1-0) won a thriller in its season-opener, slipping past Notre Dame 2-1. Bradley-bound RHP Peter Resnick (1-0) allowed a run and a hit in his six-strikeout, five-inning performance. Spartan junior RHP Brad Margolin fired two spotless innings in relief to nail down the save. Margolin fanned three Don hitters.

No. 30 Maine South (1-0) defeated Buffalo Grove 3-1 in the Hawks season-opener on Monday. Senior LHP John Forsythe (1-0) was the winning pitcher for the Hawks.

Wildcat senior Nick Coutre drove home the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh as No. 36 Libertyville evened up its record at 1-1 with a thrilling 1-0 victory over Deerfield. Wildcat senior RHP Kyle Cibario (1-0) had a scoreless outing to pick up the win.

No. 37 Lake Zurich (2-0) defeated Walther Lutheran 5-3 behind Bear starting and winning pitcher junior LHP Austin Foote (1-0). Foote pitched the first six innings of the game allowing but one single and fanning nine Bronco hitters.

No. 39 Benton (4-0) won a 15-7 slugfest over Eldorado on Monday. Bradley-bound Ranger SS Ty Leffler went deep twice among his four hits and drove home five Ranger runs. Senior 1B Ethan Hughes had three hits and three RBI. Senior CF Scott Johnson chipped in with a pair of hits and two RBI.

No. 48 De La Salle (1-0) won its opener 7-4 over Whitney Young. Western Michigan-bound RHP Pat Haynes (1-0) went the distance and struck out 11 Dolphin hitters. Junior Ricardo Ramirez had a pair of hits and three RBI to lead the Meteor attack.

No. 50 Aurora Christian (2-1) were ambushed in Elmhurst by Timothy Christian 7-5 on Monday. Eagle losing pitcher senior Kenny McCracken (0-1) doubled and drove home three Eagle runs.

Defending Class 1A State Champion Carrollton (1-0) won its season-opener in dramatic fashion on Monday. Down 5-2 at Griggsville-Union, as the game entered the top of the seventh, the Hawks erupted for seven runs and went on to defeat Griggsville-Union 7-5. Hawk juniors, C Jordan Harr, Danny Williams and senior captain Mike Fraley all had one hit and drove in two Hawk runs.

Streamwood (2-0) defeated Ridgewood 5-2 behind a three-hitter for University of Illinois-bound RHP Richie Gorski (1-0). Senior Alex Morrow had a perfect 3-for-3 day with three RBI, Senior 3B Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle and  junior Mike Smith each had two hits and an RBI.

Metamora (2-0) defeated Bloomington Central Catholic 7-5 on Monday. Alec Skender hammered a two-run shot and drove home three Redbird runs in leading Metamora past previously undefeated Bloomington Central Catholic (3-1).

Champaign Centennial (3-0) defeated Eureka (MO) 7-2 in Port St. Lucie (FL) on Monday. Charger senior Josh Manolakes fired six scoreless innings against the Show-Me State power. Junior Drake Peratt led the Charger attack with three hits and a pair of RBI.

Shepard (1-0) opened its 2012 campaign with an exciting 8-7 victory over Harlan. Astro sophomore Jake Hart hammered a two-run double which sent everyone home in Palos Heights happy. Junior Christian Araiza doubled home a pair of Astro runs and junior starting pitcher Nick Medicott struck out five and allowed two runs in his five-inning opening day start.

Chicago Christian (6-0) rolled to its sixth consecutive victory with a 12-2 five-inning rout of St. Francis de Sales. Knight senior CF John Lemmenes led the Knight onslaught with a four-RBI day. Sophomore Josh Novak improved to 2-0 with a complete-game gem with seven strikeouts

Niles West (3-0) defeated Lane Tech 5-2 behind junior RHP Kyle Colletta (1-0). Colletta fired five scoreless innings allowing four hits and striking out five,

Wheaton Academy (2-1) defeated Hinckley-Big Rock 8-0 behind Warrior junior Jake Cousins. Cousins struck out 10 in his masterful five-inning performance. Cousins also singled home a pair of Warrior runs at the plate. Seniors Cory Herbert and Drew Sanberg each drove home a pair of Warrior runs.

Manteno (4-0) routed Illinois Lutheran 14-3 in five innings on Monday. Panther senior SS Mark Reardanz had three hits and two RBI to lead the Panther attack Junior C Ryan Sample and junior Kevin Sloat each had two hits, including a double and each had an RBI. Sample is hitting a team-leading .538 and has driven home a team-leading eight RBI, through the first four Panther contests.

Westminster Christian (2-1) slipped past No. 33 Rockford Boylan, 3-2, on Monday. Warrior seniors Will Woodhouse and Ryan Perez each had a pair of hits and had an RBI for the Warriors. The ambidextrous Perez (1-0) allowed a run in his four-inning performance, striking out nine, to pick up the win. Rockford Boylan falls to 0-3.

Nazareth Academy (3-0) outslugged Reavis 12-10. Roadrunner senior Ed Gengo (2-0) picked up the win on the mound and senior Ed Piotrowski picked up the save.

Auburn (3-1) smashed Carlinville 22-4 in five innings on Monday. Trojan junior CF Austin Muench homered and doubled among his three hits and drove in eight big Trojan runs. Junior Austin Pruiett had a perfect 5-for-5 game and drove in a pair of runs for Auburn.

Danville (3-2) defeated previously undefeated Mahomet-Seymour 10-7, behind 6-foot-1, 220 pound junior C Chuckie Robinson. Robinson hit the game-winning homer to power the Vikings past the Bulldogs.