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38 | April 25, 2019 | the homer horizon sports homerhorizon.com Errors plague LTHS against Lincoln-Way East Team still at 18-3 through 21 games, eyes a playoff run Randy Whalen Freelance Reporter In its first 20 games this season, the Lockport Township baseball team only allowed 41 total runs. That included an amazing 16 games where the Porters allowed two runs or less. In last week’s makeup conference game against Lincoln-Way East, however, the Porters fell off the tracks in a 15-7 loss. They committed seven errors and gifted the host Griffins 10 unearned runs in a key SouthWest Suburban Conference Blue Division matchup on Saturday, April 20, in Frankfort. The game was originally scheduled for Thursday, April 18, but was postponed by rain. The loss broke a sixgame winning streak by the Porters (18-3, 2-1). East (15-3, 2-1) won its second straight after dropping two in a row the previous week. Both teams had 10 hits, but the errors did in Lockport. “We just played a sloppy game,” Lockport senior designated hitter Alex Martinez said. “Our hitters and pitchers did their jobs, and the defense just dragged behind. Lincoln-Way East is a very good team, so giving them free outs is not an ideal situation. Going forward, if we just clean up the mistakes in the field, I do think we will beat them [this week].” Martinez (1-for-2, R, RBI), who walked to lead off the inning, was one of the Porters who had RBI in a six-run top of the third that gave them what looked like at the time a nice 7-3 lead. Four of those runs scored after two were out. Senior John Weis had a two-run single to drive in the first runs of the inning. Collin Woulfe had a twoout RBI double and scored when fellow senior Josh Bentley reached on one of the Griffins’ two errors. Senior Jackson Mladic and Martinez both added singles that scored two more runs. But that would be all the scoring for Lockport. The Griffins came back with five runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead for good at 8-7. All of those scored after two were out as the Porters committed a trio of errors in the inning. “Two of the best teams in the area got together and didn’t play very clean baseball,” Lockport coach Andy Satunas said. “Unfortunately for us, we made more mistakes than them. We talk about playing against the game and put a premium on playing catch. We did not play catch very well on the mound or in the field.” The score remained 8-7 until the bottom of the fifth, when East added two more runs. The Griffins garnered five more in the sixth to put the game out of reach. Seniors Ryan Ritter (2- for-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI), Tyler Safarik (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, walk), Casey Schlif (2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, walk), along with junior Davey Fitzpatrick (2-for- 2, RBI), had multi-hit games for the Griffins. The Lockport senior designated hitter Alex Martinez swings at a pitch in the makeup game versus Lincoln-Way East Saturday, April 20, in Frankfort. Photos by Adam Jomant/22nd Century Media Collin Woulfe catches a fly ball for the Porters against the Griffins. Porters used five pitchers, while East used three. “This was a test of willpower,” East coach Eric Brauer said. “We were behind early, and there was nothing really going our way. We made a lot of mistakes, they made a lot of mistakes. I applauded our guys after the game for the mental effort, intensity and focus that we displayed for three hours. That’s a long game. To stay locked in, that says something.” Junior Jake Kampf drove in Lockport’s first run on an RBI single in the first. Senior Nolan Weis (3-for-4) was the only Porter player with multiple hits. Bentley and junior Nick Schindler also added hits for the Porters, who split their meetings with East last year. Each team won by a 2-1 score. “I am proud of the relentlessness we showed coming back from the early deficit and look forward to continuing to watch our team battle each and every game,” Satunas said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to learn and get better over the last 14 games of our season as we prep for a deep playoff run.” Earlier in the week, on April 16, the Porters traveled to Tinley Park and toppled Andrew 10-2 in a rematch of last season’s Class 4A regional title game which was won 6-3 by the Thunderbolts. This time around, Lockport scored three runs in the first and a pair in both the second and third innings to go up 7-0. Andrew got two runs in the bottom of the third, but the Porters scored three more in the top of the fourth and coasted to the win. Kampf (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI), Martinez (2-for- 3, 2 RBI) and Bentley (1-for-3, 2 RBI) led Lockport’s nine-hit attack. A trio of Porter pitchers had 11 strikeouts and held Andrew (12-6-1 through April 20) to two hits. The rematch with East was slated to kick off this week’s slate of games on Monday, April 22, at Flink Field in Lockport. There, the Porters were scheduled to see East ace Cole Kirschsieper. With a complete game 4-2 victory over host Providence on April 15, the senior lefty picked up his 17th victory as a Griffin varsity pitcher. That is the most by anyone in the 18- year history of the school. This Friday, April 26, Lockport hosts Homewood-Flossmoor at 4:30 p.m. in another key SWSC Blue game. H-F (9-9, 1-1 through April 20) defeated visiting Lincoln-Way East on April 12 by the score of 11-1 in six innings. The Porters cap off this week with their annual Strike Out Cancer event on Saturday, April 27. It’s an all-day affair with lower level games earlier in the day. The varsity game is scheduled for 6 p.m. against Minooka.
homerhorizon.com sports the homer horizon | April 25, 2019 | 39 fastbreak Adam Jomant/22nd Century Media 1st and 3 LTHS baseball beats Andrew, falls to Lincoln-Way East last week 1. Gaining more experience The LTHS baseball team beat Andrew by a final of 10-2 on April 16 before getting defeated 15-7 by Lincoln-Way East Saturday, April 20, in Frankfort. 2. Stingy giving up runs Before the loss against the Griffins, the Porters had only allowed 41 runs in their first 20 games. 3. Building leads Lockport got out to a 7-3 lead against the Griffins and 7-0 versus Andrew after the top of the third inning in each game. Baseball Celtics keep game close against Griffins’ ace, get players healthy Randy Whalen Freelance Reporter Cole Kirschsieper stands alone. Not only has the Lincoln-Way East pitcher been amazing this season, but he is also now officially the best pitcher in the 18-year history of Griffin baseball. With a complete game, 4-2 victory over host Providence on April 15, Kirschsieper picked up his 17th victory as a Griffin varsity pitcher. With at least a month left in the season, the senior left-hander should certainly add to that total, too. With his victory to open last week, Kirschsieper improved to 6-0 so far this season. He was 10-2 last year and also picked up a varsity victory as a sophomore. Against Providence, a possible sectional opponent, Kirschsieper fired 68 of his 101 pitches for strikes. He struck out seven, walked none and gave up his first earned run of the season, so his ERA in 34 innings rose to 0.21. As of the end of the game against the Celtics, the University of Illinois recruit had 38 strikeouts on the season. “I knew a lot of guys on that team, and I know how to approach them,” Kirschseiper said. “But they know what’s coming, too. Some of the pitches I didn’t locate well. But I was just trying to stay ahead in the count. Providence junior Brendan Slota, of Homer Glen, waits for a pitch during the April 15 game against Lincoln- Way East. Steve Millar/22nd Century Media “I would mix in my change-up, move the ball in-and-out with some offspeed stuff. That’s what I’ve done all season.” Even with their ace on the mound, the Griffins (14-3) found themselves in a 2-2 tie in the top of the seventh. With one out, senior shortstop Ryan Ritter (1-for-3, R) was hit in the head by a pitch. Junior catcher Ryan Mcoy (1-for- 3) also looked like he was hit by a pitch in the foot. But in a strange ruling, the umpires said he intentionally kicked the ball. So still at-bat, McCoy flew out to right. Senior centerfielder Tyler Safarik (1-for-3, run) was then hit by a pitch for real as another breaking ball got away and also plunked him in the head. That brought a Celtics pitching change and also brought senior first baseman Casey Schilf to the plate. The senior first baseman took a strike and then drilled a two-run double to right-center for what proved to be the winning runs. “I was looking for something early; I didn’t want to get deep in the count,” said Schilf, who was 1-for-3 with 3 RBI. “I just wanted to hopefully hit something hard. In my earlier at-bats, I didn’t get the result I wanted. I was just looking early in the count to hit it hard somewhere, and luckily it found a hole. “It was good to come back from a couple of losses in a row. Providence is a good team, and we wanted it.” Approaching the 105-pitch limit, Kirschsieper retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh on 10 pitches. That included a three-pitch strikeout for the second out. East, which entered the game on a two-game losing streak, scored a run in the top of the first. But it could have been a lot more, as the Griffins had the bases loaded with no outs. They did score on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Schilf. That scored senior third baseman Matt Watson, who had walked to lead off the game. With the game tied 1-1, East retook the lead in the fourth. Senior left fielder Joey Selvaggio (1-for-3) smashed an RBI double down the first base line to score senior pinch hitter Jack Bertolani. Junior right fielder Cael Geijer (1-for-4) and junior second baseman TJ DeVies (1-for-2, walk) also had hits for the Griffins, who had seven hits, three walks and two reach on hit by pitches while only striking out three times against a trio of Providence pitchers. The Celtics scored their first run in the bottom of the third. Sophomore shortstop Ryan O’Neil had a one-out double to left center, went to third on a two-out wild pitch and scored when senior right fielder Josh Mrozek (1-for-3) reached on the second of East’s two errors. The Celtics tied the game in the fifth when O’Neil (2-for-2, run, RBI) had an RBI double down the left-field line. That scored junior Luke Pell (1-for-3, run), who had a two-out single to left. Junior second baseman Jake Mucha (1-for-3) and junior catcher Gavin Delrose (1- for-3, double) also added hits for Providence. “I think we played well,” Providence coach Mark Smith said. “We were facing a tough pitcher, it’s a neighborhood rivalry and I’m not disappointed in the way we played. We’ve battled illness and injury. We had [senior center fielder] Alex Helmin was back for the first time in three weeks, and Josh Mrozek was back for the first time in a week. We still have [senior catcher] Tyler Struck out with a shoulder strain. “We’re a young team, and we made some big plays. We’ve pitched well and played some great defense. We just have to get some key hits.” Providence rebounded the next day, April 16, with a much-needed 6-5 win over host Mount Carmel. Junior right fielder Ryan Manikowski (3-for-4, run) led a 10-hit team day for the Celtics, who improved to 9-7 overall and 2-3 in the Catholic League. Senior center fielder Alex Helmin (2-for-4, 4 RBI) had tworun singles in both the first and second innings, and Vitas vaporized a two-run home run to left in the fifth for a 6-2 lead. Mount Carmel (9-9), which won the 2013 Class 4A state title and lost to Providence 6-5 in 8 innings in the 2015 state championship game, scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh, but the comeback fell short, as a pop-up ended the game. LISTEN UP “We are grateful for the opportunity to continue to learn and get better over the last 14 games of our season as we prep for a deep playoff run.” Andy Satunas — LTHS baseball coach, after the loss to Lincoln-Way East Tune In Baseball Home battle — 4:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, vs. Homewood-Flossmoor • The Porters host another key conference matchup when the Vikings come to town. Index 34 - This Week In 34 - Athlete of the Week FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor Thomas Czaja, tom@homerhorizon.com.
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