Guido, Elk Grove holds off Deerfield

Dan Guido isn't afraid to take the ball in the late innings. In fact, the Elk Grove reliever prefers to pitch when the game is on the line.

Guido finished off a 7-6 victory over visiting Deerfield on Thursday by allowing just two runs over the final 3 2/3 innings. He ended the game by using a curveball to strike out No. 4 hitter Ben Pineless.

"The curve has been my go-to pitch," Guido said. "I ended the St. Viator game the same way."

Guido closed out Tuesday's game (6-5 win over Viator) with a strikeout. He's quickly becoming a relief specialist.

"I feel like the game is in my hands," said Guido of coming out of the bullpen.

He limited Deerfield to one hit over the final two innings, leaning on his defense to make all the plays.

"I just had a lot of adrenaline in the last two innings," Guido said. "It's nice knowing the outfield will make every play."

The Grenadiers (3-3) battled back from a 5-3 deficit by scoring one run in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth. Carl Sugihara (2-for-3, 2 runs) knocked in the tie-breaking run with a sacrifice fly to center field.

The other hitting leaders for Elk Grove included Jack Czeszweski (2-4, double), Ryan Martinski (1-3, 2 RBI), Ryan Daubenspeck (1-2, double), Michael Anciulis (1-3, RBI) and Peter Kinsella (1-3, double).

Deerfield fell to 1-2 despite solid hitting from throughout the lineup. The leaders were Andrew Goldstick (1-3, double, RBI), Brad Holway (2-4, run), Kevin Egan (1-2, double, RBI), Jon Smirles (1-3, double), Scott Ingram (1-3, RBI) and Jake Kaplan (1-3, RBI).

"We hit the ball well enough, and we did a good job of bunting and stealing bases," said Warriors coach Kevin Marsh. "Defensively, we didn't catch the ball or throw the ball well enough to win."

Marsh wants his players to take the loss in stride.

"That was the first game we've played in 10 days," he said. "It's just a matter of getting into a rhythm."

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