Ehrlich powers Brickies past Kougars

GARY - Playing at the Steel Yard sometimes brings out the best in players at the high school level.

It did for Hobart on Saturday night, as the Brickies outdueled Northwest Crossroads Conference rival Kankakee Valley 5-3 in a thrilling game that saw just about every type of play that can be made in baseball.

"It was a lot of fun," Hobart coach Bob Glover Jr. said. "All the hitting and great defensive plays by both teams, along with some great fan support, made this a truly fun night.

"Our kids, like other high school players, seemed to get a little more excited with the opportunity to play on such a great field, and I think that pumped them up to play a good game."

Kankakee Valley got the first score of the game after a deep drive by Mike Tilley to left field eluded the Hobart fielder. A ground ball by Zach DeFries brought Tilley in for the early 1-0 lead.

Hobart tied the game in the third when Jake Ehrlich drew a walk, followed by a single by Jake Trezak on which Ehrlich scored to bring the score to 1-1.

Hobart (7-5, 2-1) really opened things up in the bottom of the fourth when Tyrus Joseforsky hit a run-scoring triple that scored two runs. That was followed by a towering shot over the right-field fence by Ehrilch to score two more runs to cap off the four-run inning.

"I knew I had a runner at third and wanted to at least hit a fly ball to score him, but I never thought it was long enough to go over until it did," Ehrlich said.

"And it's a great feeling to do that in this ballpark."

Kankakee Valley (9-2, 2-2) mounted a rally in the top of the sixth, when Dylan Patrick drove a shot over the center fielder for a two-run inside-the-park home run, but the rally stalled and Hobart held on for the victory.

Tony Curatolo picked up the win for the Brickies.

"We started off well, hitting the ball hard, and then their pitcher settled in and confidently took charge of the game, and I think that is the difference in the outcome of the game," said Kankakee Valley coach Doug Greenlee. "It's a hard game to lose, not only playing here at the Steel Yard but a conference game, as well."

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