Team Illinois: Game 2 Recap

Game two of the PBR Future Games featured a border battle between Team Illinois and Team Wisconsin. Illinois got out to a four-run lead in the first and never looked back thanks to some sharp pitching along the way. Illinois cruised to a 9-4 win over its northern neighbors.

LHP Reed Gannon (Minooka, IL, 2021) got the start for Illinois and the 6-foot-3, 170-pound lefty made easy work of the first two frames. Gannon worked two perfect frames with three punch outs, running his fastball up to 87 mph and complementing it with a sharp breaking ball that earned two of his three strikeouts. 

Love the way the arm works on ‘21 LHP Reed Gannon (@PBRIllinois) who has been mostly 85-87 w/ arm side life. Crossbody stride provides some deception. Slider has landed for strikes in mid 70s including this one for a K. Easy velo w/ lots of strikes. M2C. #PBRFutureGames pic.twitter.com/2z0WSV3MsF

— Shooter Hunt (@ShooterHunt) August 2, 2019

On the offensive side of the ball, OF Nicky Giamarusti (Notre Dame, IL, 2021) drove in a pair of runs in the first with  sharp double to left. Giamarusti was a standout on workout day breaking a PBR Future Games record in the 60 with a 6.22. He nearly earned another hit with his feet running a 4.19 down the line on a groundout to third.

RHP Owen Washburn (Webster, WI, 2021) handled the middle frames for Team Wisconsin on the mound, and although his line won’t match the level of his stuff, Washburn raised some eyebrows as his started the third inning touching 89 mph. His fastball came out hot with lively finish and paired up a firm 74-76 mph breaking ball. 

Wisconsin pushed all four of their runs across in the third, but Illinois’ pitching put the handcuffs back on the Wisconsin offense the rest of the way. RHP Tom Egan (Mount Carmel, IL, 2021) worked a perfect fifth and sixth innings getting a pair of strikeouts with his hard slider at 76-78 mph and sat 84-86 mph with his fastball. 

Left/left two-way talent Isaiah Thompson (Sacred Heart Griffin, IL, 2021) closed out the seventh with a hard biting curveball up to 74 mph. Thompson sat in the low 80’s but his breaking is a separator, letting his fastball play up. He followed up Game 1’s performance with two more hits on line drives to the big part of the diamond in Game 2. Thompson is quickly becoming one of the early risers in this year’s Future Games with his athletic abilities all over the field.

RHP Grant Ross (Pewaukee, WI, 2021) and Liam Stumpf (Mineral Point, WI, 2021) worked scoreless frames in the seventh and eighth innings. Ross used a sinking fastball up to 87 mph that induced a nifty 5-3 unassisted double play by Ryan Taylor (Verona, WI, 2021) to end the sixth. While Stumpf sat 85-86 mph and earned a punchout to end the game.