Alisauskis, Westmont sink Lisle

Hitting between Michigan-bound brothers Charlie and Joe Donovan in the top third of Westmont's batting order, it's easy to forget about Matt Alisauskis.

Alisauskis, however, put in a performance to remember on Tuesday.

The Sentinels' junior designated hitter homered, had 2 hits and drove in 4 runs to lead a potent lineup in a 10-4 Interstate Eight Conference victory over visiting Lisle.

The Donovans also did their jobs - Charlie went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 2 steals while Joe added a double and scored a run - but Alisauskis was the guy who really hurt the Lions on a windy day when all nine members of Westmont's lineup had a hit.

"You just try to put a good swing on the ball because you know the wind is going to take it," Alisauskis said. "It's a slugfest so you've got to keep grinding. There's no sure thing on a day like this."

With the wind howling out to center field, it was a tough day to pitch for Westmont complete-game winner Austin Loehman and Lisle counterpart Alec Van Volkenburg. The first of three home runs on the day came in the top of the first when Grant Haen launched a 2-run shot to dead center for the Lions.

After Westmont (13-4, 3-2) answered with a run in the second inning, Alisauskis' 2-run single in the third gave the Sentinels the lead for good.

Tacking on runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth inning, Westmont kept up the pressure as the Lions (7-8, 3-2) struggled to cash in their opportunities. Half of their six stranded runners were left in scoring position.

"I thought we had great approaches at the plate, but their outfielders played a lot better than ours did," said Lisle coach Pete Meyer. "Every ball that went out there, they caught. And we didn't. They earned a lot of their runs, but we gave them at least two. And you can't do that in a close game. They just played better than we did."

Christian Grego came a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a double, homer and 3 runs scored for Lisle. Van Volkenburg also had 3 hits.

Kevin Melvin drove in 2 runs for Westmont while Anthony Alessi went 2-for-3. Five players drove in runs for the Sentinels, who tacked on 3 runs in the sixth inning - highlighted by the 2-run shot by Alisauskis - to expand a 3-run lead to 6 runs.

"We knew it was a good day to be a hitter," said Westmont coach D.J. Cocks. "I tip my cap to Austin Loehman and Joe Donovan for the way they worked as a battery. Keeping a team like Lisle to 4 runs on a day like this, they just did a great job."

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