Baseball: Mundelein rallies for extra-inning win over Libertyville
Mundelein tried to pull a fast one with runners at first and third and two out in the eighth inning of a tie game Tuesday at Libertyville.
The Wildcats didn’t fall for the old Johnny Weiss’ fake face plant between first and second and ultimately let him scramble back to first with a 1-2 count on Nick Szalony.
Weiss conventionally stole second on the next pitch and then Szalony pulled a fastball from Charlie Gretz into left field for a 2-run single. Brody Paluch left the tying run at third with a called strikeout as Mundelein celebrated a tense 6-5 victory between last year’s North Suburban Conference co-champions.
“The cardiac Mustangs strike again,” smiled first baseman Caden Earing, who went 3-for-5 and tied the game with an RBI double in the seventh and an RBI single in the fifth.
“This was probably the most fun game I’ve played in,” said Szalony, whose two sacrifice bunts led to Earing’s hits. “It had a lot of meaning on the line. This game just means more.”
Especially for Mundelein (12-4, 4-2) after it struck out 14 times Monday in a 5-0 loss to Libertyville (17-2, 5-1) lefty Josh Holst. Weiss switched spots with Szalony in the order and went 3-for-4 at leadoff.
Erick Fletcher (2-for-4) had an RBI single and Joey Gargano an RBI double with two outs for a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Fletcher’s single and Gargano’s sacrifice started the eighth.
“Holst threw great (Monday) and we struggled getting in and competing and he overpowered us,” said Mundelein coach Randy Lerner. “We met afterward and said let’s get in there and make some adjustments and compete. I’m so proud of how they bounced back.”
Libertyville took a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Chase Lockwood’s double set up a two-out double steal with courtesy runner Steve Strelow scoring and an RBI single by Jack Cenar.
Cole Lockwood’s homer to right in the fifth off future Valparaiso teammate Joey Kafka put the Wildcats up 4-3. But Earing lined an 0-2 pitch from Brady Buenik down the right-field line to tie it with one out in the seventh.
“I’m more of a pull guy but I just took what he threw me,” Eiring said. “It was a low, outside fastball and I got my hands through.”
Lefty Sean Sanderson, who came in and stranded runners at second and third in the sixth, left the winning run at third in the seventh by getting the dangerous Holst on a fly to short center. Szalony then came through for a 6-4 lead.
“I trust my coaches and when they called us over before the at-bat they said if it got to two strikes they would try that (first-and-third play),” Szalony said. “I was looking for a pitch I could hit and trying to fight and stay alive and keep us in the game.”
Libertyville got one-out infield singles by Ryan Wilberding and Cenar and Rohrbach’s RBI groundout in the eighth but couldn’t complete another comeback.
“You have to give it to them, they outplayed us today and had quality at-bats when they needed them,” said Libertyville coach Matt Thompson, “and we had some, too.”