Laurence outdoes Mustangs in big win

Updated: May 2, 2011 8:23PM

Pitching, hitting, defense.

All three key elements of successful baseball were on display for St. Laurence on Monday.

Not so for St. Rita.

Mike Chimera fired a two-hitter, the offense registered 12 hits and the defense was nearly flawless during a 10-2 thumping of St. Rita in a Catholic League Blue mismatch in Burbank.

Chimera walked four and struck out 11 during a tidy 106-pitch performance.

After allowing the Mustangs (18-4, 6-3) to jump out to a 2-0 lead without the benefit of a hit, the senior was pretty much untouchable the rest of the way.

“Chimera was huge,” St. Laurence coach Pete Lotus said. “He struggled with his control a little bit early, but to limit that team to two hits is unbelievable.”

The Vikings erased a two-run deficit with three runs in the second inning and five runs in the third.

Steve Fiorella (3-for-4, 2 RBI), Mike Solofra, Bryan Villanova, Brandon Mallder (2-for-4, RBI) and Chimera (2-for-3, RBI) all drove in runs for the Vikings (19-5, 9-2). Freshman Mike Kornacker (3-for-3) also contributed to the offensive explosion against St. Rita starter Scott Thomas and four relievers.

St. Laurence benefitted from seven errors by St. Rita, including four in the third inning.

“I got ahead in the count and the defense played great,” Chimera said. “It always helps to have great run support, too.”

Jake Thome and Niko Zych recorded the only hits on the day for St. Rita. Zach Soria walked twice.

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.