Small ball gives North Stars the edge

Photos: St. Charles North vs. Bartlett

Updated: April 13, 2011 3:36PM

When Monday's Upstate Eight Conference crossover game between Bartlett and St. Charles North started, it resembled a slow-pitch softball game with shots flying into gaps all over the field.

However the wind changed directions, the pitching improved and then it became a matter of who could become more resourceful. The Stars did a better job of scratching out runs late and came away with a 7-5 victory against Bartlett.

"We have the speed to go small ball," North Stars coach Todd Genke said after his team improved to 3-0 in the UEC and 7-2 overall.

Jake Bergren beat out a sixth-inning bunt single, moved up on an error and wild pitch, then came home to break a 5-all tie on a perfectly executed Josh

Loynachan safety squeeze bunt down the first base line. Then, in the seventh, the Stars' basepath speed bothered losing pitcher Dan Schlitter enough to force two balks, resulting in Jake Johansmeier's insurance run.

"Jake Bergren had a great bunt there," Genke said. "And with the squeeze, it's nice to get a win like that using that kind of play because the kids have a lot of confidence in it later on when you might need it."

John Munyon (2-0) settled down for the victory after both he and Bartlett starter Robert Sadowski were shelled hard early. Munyon allowed six hits, walked three, struck out five, and four of the five runs he gave up were earned. But he held Bartlett to only one hit over his final four innings before junior Carl Formento fired two perfect innings of relief for his third save.

"I didn't have my best stuff today and they were hitting me pretty good, but if I can keep us in the ballgame we have good enough hitters that we can pretty much put up enough runs to win," Munyon said. "I found my change-up after, which was nice, and was able to throw my pitches for strikes."

The teams combined for 11 hits, four for extra bases, in the first 2-1/2 innings.

North had two hits and three RBI from John Brodner, including an RBI single in the first after Andrew Elliot doubled in a run and Johansmeier chased home David Gow following a leadoff triple. But Bartlett came right back with three in the second to tie when Joey Miceli singled in Ryan Yore, Dan Gallanis doubled in a run and Giacomo Visconti singled home Gallanis.

The Hawks (3-8, 0-4) then took a 4-3 lead when John Fleming singled, moved to second and third on wild pitches and came in on Miceli's grounder to second. But the Stars came back for a 5-4 lead on Brodner's two-out, two-run double on the fly off the wall in right-center.

Then the wind changed, and the Hawks tied it again with their own version of small ball. John Fleming walked, stole second and third, and came home when the throw to third on his second stolen base went into left field.

"We did a good job bouncing back after they took advantage of us (in the first)," Bartlett coach Chris Pemberton said. "But then we kind of go away for a while. We become flat in those innings where we kind of get lost.

"We need to think ahead a little more."

Sadowski gave up five earned runs and seven hits in three innings, before Schlitter (0-1) threw the final four innings and allowed only one earned run, one hit and threw walks while striking out three.

Bartlett had a chance to score the tying run in the fourth before tying it 5-5 on the throwing error. Visconti doubled, was sacrificed and then got nabbed trying to come home on a ball that popped out of catcher Matt Thomas' mitt, but didn't roll far enough for the Hawks.

"It's those small mistakes, the mental breakdowns, that are coming up big and costing us," Pemberton said. "Dan did a great job. He offers a lot of challenges for hitters, a different release point and long arms and legs. It's unfortunate he had the breakdown there at the end and those two runs came in."

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