By Sean Duncan

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – Carmel has been up and down this spring, collecting big wins like sweeping Marian Catholic and splitting with Joliet Catholic, only to turn around and kick games to struggling teams.

On Monday, Carmel was certainly on the uptick, as the Corsairs pounded host St. Viator 13-2 in six innings in an East Suburban Catholic matchup.

Carmel (12-7, 4-1) benefitted from some shoddy St. Viator (12-9, 1-4) defense in the early innings, and blew the game open to stay in the race for the East Suburban Catholic title. The Corsairs spotted St. Viator a 2-0 advantage in the first inning, then proceeded to reel off 13 unanswered to employ the mercy rule.

Junior right-hander Matt Ryan (4-1) handled the rest, holding St. Viator to four hits – two in the first inning – in his six innings of work. Behind an 80-84 mph fastball and effective breaking ball, Ryan recorded six strikeouts and walked two.

Scouting Notes:

• St. Viator LHP Tim McElroy was the game’s biggest revelation – the athletically built 6-foot-5 senior certainly deserved a better fate. McElroy’s fastball topped at 88 mph with some arm-side life, sitting in the 85-87 range for the first three innings. This is the first time we’ve seen McElroy, who is walking-on at Purdue University. McElroy maintained his composure, despite rolling three potential double-play balls in Carmel’s three-run third inning, none of which resulting in double plays. McElroy stuck out five in four innings work.

• Carmel’s Blake Bucsa, an unsigned senior 2B, had four quality at-bats, going 4-for-4 with four singles, three runs scored and drove in a run.

• Carmel left-handed hitting junior 1B Duncan Amrien delivered the game’s biggest hit with a bases-clearing triple in the Corsairs’ five-run fifth inning. Unsigned senior leadoff man Brian Brennan went 1-for-2 with a two-run double, three walks (once with the bases loaded, three RBI and two runs scored.

• Keep an eye on St. Viator junior left-hander Patrick Martin in the coming years. Martin is a long and willowy 6-foot-2 pitcher who has a lot of room for physical development. His arm works fluidly from a 3/4 arm slot. His fastball topped at 86 mph once, pitching in the 79-83 range in his one-inning stint.