BY DRAKE SKLEBA
SENIOR WRITER

Games from March 28

Central State 8

No. 32 Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 5, Jacksonville 2
Sacred Heart-Griffin (4-1; 1-1) evened up its CS8 series with Jacksonville winning 5-2 in Springfield on Thursday. Cyclone senior RHP David Jacob improved to 3-0 on the season with a solid six-inning performance. Jacob allowed two runs and five hits while striking out nine Crimson hitters. Jacob also singled and drove home two Cyclone runs to help himself. Junior Mitch Trees, doubled, singled and plated two Cyclone runs. Junior Steve Sartore chipped in with a pair of hits.

Jacksonville (6-2; 3-1) was led by Clayton Werries, who singled, doubled and drove in a Crimson run.

South Seven

Mount Vernon 11, Belleville Althoff 6

Mount Vernon (7-2; 1-0) opened defense of their 2012 South Seven Conference championship, with an 11-6 win over Belleville Althoff (3-2; 0-1). Ram senior Tyler Ellis (2-1) picked up the win on the mound for MV.

Ram junior 3B Sawyer Harrison had a double and three RBI to lead Mount Vernon. Senior C Collin Young had two hits, including a double and had an RBI. Senior Colton Meador and junior Jake Pike, each chipped in with two hits and an RBI.


Nonconference
WJOL Area Invitational Quarterfinals

No. 12 Providence 5, Plainfield Central 3
An outstanding pitchers’ duel between Providence’s senior RHP Yianni Pavlopoulos and Plainfield Central’s Tomas Aguilar took place at Providence on Thursday. Pavlopoulos and Aguilar matched goose-eggs through five innings.

Pavlopoulos put a sixth goose-egg on the board finishing with four hits allowed and an even dozen strikeouts. Aguilar departed after five innings and the Celtics unloaded on the Wildcat pen, scoring five times in the bottom of the sixth.

Celtic senior Steve Gruskowski drove home two, with a bases-loaded double. Pinch-hitter senior Brian Jenner followed with a two-run single. The Celtic bench came up big for head coach Mark Smith, junior Shawn Cavallone came off the bench and drove in the fifth run of the inning with an RBI single.

Plainfield Central (1-1) scored three runs against the Celtic pen and loaded the bases before succumbing in the top of the seventh. Wildcat Austin Blazevic singled home two runs in the seventh for Plainfield Central.

Glenbrook South 14, Oak Park 3
Glenbrook South (2-0) destroyed the defending Class 4A champs from Oak Park 14-3 on Thursday at Oak Park. The Titans were led offensively by Tommy O’Hara, who hammered two homers and plated six Titan runs. Sam Selby continued his hot start to 2013 with a single and a homer, driving in two for GBS.

No. 19 Lockport 9, Joliet Central 0
Lockport (3-1) head coach Andy Satunas used four pitchers who fired a six-hit shutout at Joliet Central. Porter senior RHP Connor Ryan (2-0) picked up the win with three scoreless innings, allowing three hits with three strikeouts. Purdue-bound Ted Snidanko, catcher Derek Bangert and Jeff Pattison all drove in a pair of Porter runs.

Plainfield South 9, No. 42 Joliet West 0

No.2 Lincoln-Way North 4, Bolingbrook 3 (8 innings)
Lincoln-Way North’s St. Joseph College-bound SS Josh Handzik singled home Oakton Community College-bound CF Cory Krupske, to lead the Phoenix to a thrilling 4-3, eight- inning victory on Thursday.

In the season-opener for both schools, the Phoenix and Raiders put on quite a show in Bolingbrook on Thursday. Lincoln-Way North’s SIU-Edwardsville bound RHP Mike Miller and Bolingbrook’s senior Steve Waldrop were locked in a pitchers’ duel. The game was scoreless heading into the top of the seventh.

L-W North (1-0) struck for three runs against Waldrop in the top of the seventh to break-out to a 3-0 lead. Phoenix senior C Ryan Pellack doubled home the first run of the game for L-WN.  Creighton-bound SS Kevin Smith followed with a huge two-run single to give the Phoenix a 3-0 lead.

Raider senior Nick Sramek ripped a bases-clearing double to tie the game at 3-3 off of Phoenix junior Brett King (1-0) who took over for Miller in the seventh.

In the top of the eighth, Krupske singled and stole second and scored on Handzik’s single. King mowed down the Raiders in the bottom of the eighth to nail down the win.

No. 4 Mount Carmel 7, Marian Catholic 1
In a 2013 Steven M. Bajenski Memorial Tournament First Round game, the fourth-ranked Caravan rolled past Marian Catholic 7-1.

Caravan junior LHP Rich Fordon (1-0) picked up the win allowing one run and four hits in his five-inning stint on Thursday. Junior Dave Dobrinich hammered a solo shot for the Caravan and junior Marko Boricich had two hits and three RBI to lead the MC attack.

No. 5 Normal West 16, Cannon-McMillan (PA) 0 (five innings)  
Normal West (5-2) had an offensive explosion against another Keystone State foe, scoring 16 and 16 hits to rout Cannon-McMillan (PA) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Thursday. Wildcat staring and winning pitcher Nick Hieb (2-0) fired four scoreless innings allowing four hits.

Offensive heroes were aplenty for the ‘Cats. Junior Ryan Frye had a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate with a double and three RBI. Sophomore Reid Birlingmair was 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Senior Matt James, junior Reed Rogers and senior Josh Appel each had two hits and plated a pair of Wildcat runs.

No. 6 St. Laurence 10, Oak Lawn 0 (5 innings)
St. Laurence (4-1) crushed Oak Lawn 10-0 in five innings on Thursday. Purdue-recruit junior RHP Mike Kornacker (2-0) did it all for the Vikings in Oak Lawn. Kornacker allowed his first two hits of the season in his four innings of work. The future-Boilermaker went 4-for-4 at the plate with four RBI. Austin Peay-recruit junior C TJ Marik was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI and senior 3B Zach Lewis had two hits and two RBI.

No. 8 Simeon 11, Gary Westside 1 (5 innings)
The Wolverines unleashed their youth on their Hoosier State foes from Gary. Sophomores Terrance Robertson and Jamary McKinney led Simeon (2-0) to victory. Robertson had a perfect three-for-three day with two RBI and McKinney drove home three with a pair of hits. Junior Rhakeem Thomas (1-0) fired a two-hitter with 12 strikeouts against Westside.  

No. 16 Harrisburg 10, No. 48 New Trier 0 (From March 27)
University of Illinois-bound RHP Ryne Roper fired a three-hit shutout at the Trevians to improve to 3-0 on the season as Harrisburg (5-0) crushed New Trier on Wednesday. Roper also had a double and three RBI to lead the Bulldog attack. Bulldog Cole Younger chipped in with a pair of RBI.

No. 20 Nazareth 6, Butler (KY) 0
The Roadrunners rolled to their second victory against an out-of-state opponent, whipping Butler, Kentucky 6-0 on Thursday. Junior RHPs Jake Bartels (1-0) and Joe Nelson combined to throw a three-hit shutout at the Blue Grass State opponents. Bartlels allowed two-hits in five innings of work with two strikeouts. Nelson finished up the game with two scoreless innings in relief. Nelson gave up one hit and fanned four. Nazareth (2-0) junior SS Tim DalPorto and fellow junior Andy Barreto each drove in a pair of Roadrunner runs.

No. 26 Huntley 12, Palatine 4
Huntley (2-0) scored eight times in the bottom of the fourth and cruised to a 12-4 win over Palatine on Thursday. Louisville-bound Colin Lyman and senior 2B Tyler Albright each had three hits and two RBI to lead the Red Raider attack. University of Illinois recruit, junior Mike Skonieczny added a pair of hits and three RBI. Red Raider starting and winning RHP Eric Luecht (1-0) picked up the win on the mound for Huntley.

No. 34 York 5, Notre Dame 3
Head coach Dave Kalal’s Dukes improved to 2-0 with a 5-3 victory over Notre Dame on Thursday. Senior Pete Doughty and junior Tyler Zunkle each had a pair of hits to lead the Dukes. Zunkle added an RBI and scored two runs. York starting pitcher senior Adam Gomez (1-0) picked up the win on the mound for the Dukes.

Richards 6-8 No. 46 Marist 4-8
No. 46 Marist (1-1) opened up the 2013 season with a split with Richards in Mount Greenwood on Thursday. Richards (3-2) won the opener 6-4 and Marist came back and won the thrilling nightcap 9-8.

In game one, Richards jumped out to a 6-0 and survived a late Redhawk rally to win 6-4. Bulldog senior Harley Miller had three hits and plated a run for the Bulldogs. Bulldog senior RHP Jake Kendra (1-0) allowed a pair of runs and on two hits in his five innings of work to pick up the win.

Marist junior David Nelson had a two-run single for the Redhawks. In game two, Marist outslugged Richards 9-8. Junior Dylan Woodworth led the Redhawk attack with two hits and three RBI. Richards was led by junior AJ Sanchez who had a two-run single for the ‘Dogs.

Aurora Central Catholic 8, Plano 0
After successful tenures at the late, great Driscoll Catholic and Lincoln-Way Central, ACC (1-0) first-year head coach Sean Bieterman and his Chargers won their season-opener over Plano 8-0 on Thursday.

Heartland Community College-bound Matt Miller fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Miller singled, doubled and homered and drove home four for ACC. Junior Andy Bruss (1-0) fired four scoreless innings with six punch-outs to pick up the win on the mound.

Homewood-Flossmoor 8, No. 48 Andrew 1
H-F (1-0) opened up its season with a 8-1 Southwest Suburban Conference crossover game with No. 48 Andrew (3-2). Viking senior Jake Klemp sophomore C Jesse Forestell and WIU-recruit junior SS Kendall King all had three hits to lead the Viking attack. Senior Teddy Romas (1-0) picked up the win on the mound for the Vikings allowing one run and five hits in his five innings of work.  

DuQuoin 5, West Frankfort 4 (From March 27)
DuQuoin (3-1) defeated West Frankfort 5-1 in a S. Illinois River-River crossover game on Wednesday. Indian senior 3B Austin Mansker had a perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate. Junior Camden Youngman had two hits and four RBI to lead the DuQuoin attack. Sophomore A.J. Smith (2-0) picked up the win for DuQuoin. West Frankfort falls to 0-2-1.

Belleville West 6, Waterloo Gibault 2 (From March 27)
Maroon sophomore Jake Wilson pitched and hit Belleville West (4-1) past Waterloo Gibault 6-2, on Wednesday. Wilson allowed two runs and two hits in five innings to improve to 2-0. Wilson also had three hits, including a double at the plate. Red-hot senior Alexander Sharos singled home a pair of Maroon runs and now is hitting .467 with 9 RBI for 2013.

Manteno 2, Chicago Christian 1
Manteno (3-0) slipped past Chicago Christian 2-1 in Palos Heights on Thursday. Panther junior RHP Jack Liss (2-0) went the distance, allowing one run and four hits. Liss picked up an RBI at the plate. Junior DH Luke Robbins had a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate and scored a run.

Chicago Christian (5-1) was led by junior CF Sean O’Meara who had two hits and senior LF Wally Findyz who drove home the lone Knight run.

Lake Zurich 8, Glendale (MO) 6 (8 Innings)
Lake Zurich (1-2) scored twice in the top of the eighth and hung on for an 8-6 win over Glendale (MO) in Branson. Danny Neies led the Bear attack with two hits and two RBI. Anthony Drago chipped in with a three-hit day and an RBI. Bear RHP Mike Shastany (1-0) picked up the win in relief.

Lincoln-Way East 7, Stagg 3
Lincoln-Way East (1-0) opened up the 2013 campaign by scoring four runs in the first and adding three in the second to coast to a 7-3 season-opening win on Thursday. The Phoenix were led by Tommy Feussel who singled, tripled, drove in a run and stole a base. Aaron Donald had a pair of hits and runs scored and Phoenix starting pitcher Karl Henderson (1-0) fired four scoreless innings allowing one hit. Henderson struck out 5.

Benton 7, Vernon Hills 1
Benton (5-4) defeated Vernon Hills 7-1 at Benton City Park on Thursday. Senior Cameron Rock was three-for-three at the plate including his second bomb of the season. Rock plated two Ranger runs. Senior Ethan Hughes chipped in with two hits and two RBI. Junior RHP Tyler Owens (1-1) went the distance allowing three hits with three strikeouts. The run he gave up was unearned.

Highland Park 3, IVC 2
Highland Park (2-1) squeaked past IVC 2-1 in Chillicothe on Thursday morning. John Simone and Harry Karl drove in the two Giant runs. Danny Wagner (1-0) fired five scoreless innings at the Grey Ghosts allowing only four hits.

Bartonville Limestone 10, Highland Park 0 (5 innings)
Limestone (1-0) routed Highland Park 10-0 in five innings on Thursday in Bartonville. Rocket senior Zach Jewell (1-0) fired a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts. Jewell helped himself at the plate with a booming two-run double.  Rocket senior C Jake Schooley, was three-for-three at the plate with a double and three RBI.

St. Viator 1, McHenry 0
St. Viator (1-1) blanked McHenry 1-0 behind a three-hit shutout from senior RHP Gunnar Kay (1-0). Kay fanned four and did not walk a batter in his masterpiece. Lion Harry McCollum drove home the only run of the game with a single, scoring Ben Dickey in the first inning. McHenry (1-1) was led by senior Cody Freund, who had two hits for the Warriors.

Herscher 9, Pontiac 9 (8 innings)
Herscher (1-0-1) rallied from a 9-0 deficit to force extra-innings and then ended up with a tie brought on by the PBR’s top-performer of this spring, Mother Nature. The game was called due to darkness. Head coach Eric Regez’s Tigers were led by Braden Mulstadt, who had three hits and drove home four for Herscher. Pontiac (2-0-1) was led by Neil Lamber who had a 4-for-4 day for the Indians.

Montini 10, Lisle 3
Montini (1-0) defeated Lisle 10-3 in the season-opener for both schools on Thursday. Montini jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning highlighted by a big two-run double from Montini junior 3B Austin Kline.

Niles West 9, St. Patrick 0
Niles West opened the 2013 campaign with a resounding 9-0 victory over St. Patrick. Matt Delavaga led the Wolves attack with two hits and two RBI. Tommy Toledo doubled home a pair to help Cody Pazic (1-0) pick up the win on the mound. Pazic fired five scoreless innings at the Shamrocks allowing just three hits with six strikeouts.

Romeoville 4, Oak Forest 2
Romeoville (3-0) stunned Oak Forest 4-2 on Thursday. Spartan Bobby Hurly improved to 2-0 with a four-hitter with five strikeouts. Junior Mike Esquivel and sophomore Josh Krueger, led the Spartan attack. Esquivel and Krueger each had two hits and drove home a run.  


Please send game results, box scores, stats, etc. on the night of your game
to [email protected] . This will ensure inclusion in the Daily Roundup.