By Sean Duncan

 

ROCKFORD - Both No. 18 Rockford Boylan and Rockton Hononegah entered Thursday’s showdown undefeated in the NIC-10, not to mention two of the top senior pitchers in the state were throwing against each other. The stage was set for a classic – and if not for the brutally strong winds, it would’ve been perfect.

 

When the dust settled – literally – Boylan took sole possession of first place with its 2-0 victory behind a sterling pitching performance by Tyler Dray.

 

The 6-foot-4, 200-pound left-hander struck out 11 and walked one in a four-hit complete game. And two of the hits off Dray (4-1) were of the infield squib variety. He struck out two batters in four innings, including three straight between the fourth and sixth, and accomplished a shutout despite the Titans defense committing four errors

 

Dray earned the victory by defeating Hononegah ace Ryan Scarpetta (5-1), who has been nothing short of dominant this season. Boylan improved to 14-4, 8-0 in the NIC-10 while Hononegah dropped to 14-4 and 7-1.

 

“I came out and I knew I had to throw strikes,” said Dray, who is signed at Southern Illinois University. “We got a run in the first inning, which helped me calm down a little. This is a big win for us because we haven’t beaten them in a couple years.”

 

Said Boylan coach Chris Rozanski: “[Dray] has had a great start to the conference season. I’ve matched him up with the tougher opponents, and he went the distance against Harlem, and now he went the distance against Hononegah. This is what we expected out of a three-year kid.”

 

Boylan pushed a run across in the first when Valparaiso-bound Michael Morman blasted a 90-mph Scarpetta fastball into the wind to dead centerfield for a double. After Scarpetta got the next two outs, junior third baseman Mark Garton came through with a run-scoring single.

 

Runs scored against Scarpetta have been few and far between this season. Already this season the 6-foot-4, 195-pound right-hander has thrown three no-hitters – that’s right, three – and a one-hitter against Harlem, collecting 78 strikeouts in 42 innings. At the plate, the Valparaiso recruit has been just as impressive, having hit seven homers and 13 doubles while batting .552.

 

Nevertheless, Boylan pushed another run across in the second inning when Scarpetta, who was battling through a throat infection and a strained back muscle, hit the first two batters of the inning, and RJ Roberts eventually scored on a passed ball. The run, however, was unearned, as an error extended the inning.

 

“I had no idea what I was doing in the first two innings,” said Scarpetta, who pitched the entire game at 86-89 mph. “That wasn’t me.”

 

Even so, Scarpetta found his rhythm as the game progressed and struck out seven in the final three innings, including three in the sixth.

 

“Ryan obviously settled down,” said Hononegah coach Matt Simpson. “It’s not like he’s had control issues at all. … Dray just threw a great game. As good as you can get.”

 

Dray allowed only two hits through six innings before Chris Blackburn and freshman Jack Granath had consecutive hits in the seventh with two outs. But Dray finished the game in appropriate fashion with a strikeout. Jake Lanning paced Hononegah’s offense with two singles and a stolen base.