Improved Stars cruise past Bowen

Rich South senior first baseman David Nelson feels strongly about the possibility of his team making a deep run in the IHSA playoffs this year.

After the Stars' 15-0, five-inning triumph over Bowen on Monday in a Class 3A Bremen Regional quarterfinal in Richton Park, he may be right.

Rich South (11-13) swung the bats with authority while also taking advantage of location problems on the part of Bowen¹s pitchers to record the win.

The Stars will face Oak Forest on Wednesday at Bremen in the regional semifinal.

"We¹ve made some good strides this year and we're much better than we were last season," said Nelson, who is also the Stars¹ ace on the mound. "I really think we're playing our best ball right now and we've got a team that if we play like I know we can, can make our school really proud."

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Nelson contributed at the plate, reaching base three times and scoring a run in a 1-for-2 performance that included a walk. The crown jewel of Nelson¹s efforts was a hard-hit two-run double that clanged off the top of the center-field fence in the third inning.

"I thought that ball was going out," Nelson said. "It would have been nice if it did, but either way we still got runs off it."

Rich South coach John Benney gave the ball to No. 2 starter Anthony Lewis (2-3) and the 6-foot, 155-pound senior didn't disappoint.

Lewis went the distance, allowing just two hits while walking two and striking out 10, including the final three to end the contest.

"Anthony threw the ball exceptionally well today," Benney said. "We did a lot of things well today. At the plate, we didn't expand our strike zones and we kind of took what they gave us. When we got good pitches to hit in hitters' counts, we hit them. So it was a good win for us."

The Stars jumped on Bowen early, sending 15 hitters to the plate in the opening frame – eight via walks – and scoring 10 runs. The highlights were two-run singles from Coty Calvin (two runs) and Antonio Richardson (run).

Rich South added a run in the second on an RBI single to right by Darren Burks (three walks, three runs).

The Stars scored four times in the third, two of the runs coming on bases-loaded walks.

Benney is looking forward to facing the Bengals.

"That's a real good program over there and they're just a quality ball club," he said. "It¹ll be a good challenge for us."

Bowen (0-12) received singles from William McKinney and Marcario Ortiz.