Pett's homer lifts Sandburg past Lyons

Updated: March 31, 2011 4:02PM

Mike Pett had never hit a home run before, and with the wind whipping in, the Lyons senior outfielder was certain his fifth-inning blast to right field didn't have a chance. Pett didn't stop sprinting until the ball easily cleared the fence.

Pett's home run was all No. 10 Lyons needed to defeat No. 15 Sandburg 1-0 in a nonconference game in Orland Park on Wednesday.

"No way I thought that was going out," said Pett, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound left-handed hitter. "I was guessing fastball, and usually that's a strong assumption in a 3-2 count. It feels good; usually it's the guys in the heart of the order who are coming up with the big hits."

Pett, the No. 7 hitter, collected two of the Lions' five hits against Sandburg (1-1). Three Lyons pitchers limited Sandburg to only three hits, two of which were of the infield variety. After yielding a leadoff single to Nick Bates, Lions starting pitcher Zach Remijas shut down the Eagles' offense.

The senior right-hander didn't allow another hit in his four innings work.

Senior right-hander Jack Peth (1-0) allowed one infield single in two innings to pick up the win for Lyons (2-0), and sophomore right-hander Keith Lehmann closed the door in the seventh, striking out two behind an 85-88 mph fastball.

"I'm very pleased," said Lyons coach George Ushela. "It was a

well-pitched game throughout. Remijas competes out there and he's sneaky fast. ...

Playing Sandburg always helps us measure where we are at."

Pett's home run spoiled a strong outing by Bates, who struck out six, walked none, and yielded four hits in five innings work.

"All in all, I was pleased with our pitchers and pleased with our defense," said Sandburg coach Doug Sutor. "The bats will come around. It's hard to hit in 30-degree weather with the wind blowing in."

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