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Morrow’s grand slam powers Sabres past Maroons
Updated: May 26, 2011 10:27PM
Alex Morrow couldn’t have picked a better time to hit his first grand slam of the season.
Morrow capped a five-run third inning by muscling an inside fastball just around the right-field foul pole and top-seeded Streamwood held on to defeat No. 5 seed Elgin 7-2 in the Class 4A Hoffman Estates Regional semifinal on Thursday.
“I was looking just to get on base and not really hit a home run,” Morrow said. “When I hit it I thought it would go for a double but it kept on carrying. It was big because it broke open a close game. We are now at the regional final which is where we want to be.”
The game was moved to Elgin High because of wet field conditions at Hoffman Estates.
With one run in already in the third, the Sabres (27-6) loaded the bases via a fielder’s choice and back-to-back walks. Morrow then took the 2-1 offering over the fence for his seventh home run of the season.
“I think the game was pretty flat until Alex’s grand slam. Once he hit it (the grand slam) everything changed,” Streamwood coach Steve Diversey said. “It allowed Dalton (Lundeen) to settle in and it really gave our team a lift.”
Lundeen (6-1) did the rest for the Sabres as the junior pitched a complete game, surrendering just two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. Lundeen retired six straight Maroons to finish the game.
Elgin (5-27-1) took advantage of a shaky start by Lundeen and appeared to be heading for a big inning as Shaiquelle Hayes started the game with a single. Two batters later Lee Jackson would give the Maroons their first lead of the game with an RBI double. An error on a routine grounder to third put runners on the corners with only one out.
Maroons coach Dave Foerster put on a delayed double steal but the strategy backfired as both runners were tagged out. The throw to second was perfect by the catcher and beat the runner to the bag, and the return throw home was also on target and Jackson was tagged out before he could even begin his slide.
“I’ll take the blame on that play. It was a miscommunication on my part and I told Lee to break too late to home,” Foerster said. “That play stopped the momentum we had.”
Down 6-1, Elgin got a run back in the fifth via an RBI single by Hayes but Streamwood would answer in its half of the inning with an unearned run as a wild throw by the third baseman ended up plating Tim Cohen from second.
Alex Doty (1-6) took the loss for the Maroons.
Streamwood advances to the regional finals against either Larkin or South Elgin. It has not been determined if the championship game will be played Saturday or Monday.
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