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Joliet West takes one over rival Central
Updated: May 5, 2011 8:43PM
JOLIET — Like most high school baseball teams in early May, Joliet West is building toward the postseason. But that’s not to say certain games are not a little more special.
Following the Tigers’ 10-3 SouthWest Suburban Blue victory Thursday over Joliet Central, Karczewski spoke of the district opponent.
“They play hard, we play hard, this game is fun,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for those guys and those coaches over there.”
Then, Karcewski delivered the punch line. “The thing that stinks is that Piazza is not over there, too,” he said. “I really would have enjoyed beating him.”
Terry Piazza was the head coach of the combined program the last several years, and Karczewski was his pitching coach.
On this occasion, West sophomore right-hander Jake Herron benefitted from his teamates’ four-run explosion in the fourth inning, keyed by junior catcher Matt Koran’s rope of a three-run home run, and went the distance. He struck out 10 and allowed eight hits as West (12-6-1, 5-4) kept its slim SWS Blue title hopes alive.
“Jake has a little more to learn, but he’s only a sophomore,” Koran said of Herron. “He gives his all every time out, and he has some great pitches. He is coming into his own.”
“For a sophomore, he is one of the best around,” Karczewski said. “He started mixing his pitches better later on, and give them credit, they hit some good pitches.”
Second baseman Nico Burzawa returned to the lineup for Central (4-18, 1-8) after two weeks on the sideline with a sprained knee and was on everything Herron had to offer. He hit his first homer in the first to put the Steelmen up 1-0, knocked in a run with a groundout in a two-run third and finished his day with a single and double.
“Nico did a great job swinging the bat,” Central coach Tony Juarez said. “He couldn’t move as well as he wanted to in the field, so we will have to decide if we are going to make a change at second and have him DH.”
Brandyn Smith doubled for the Steelmen and tough-luck loser Joshua Wojnarowski singled in a run. Wojnarowski had a 3-1 lead in third but misplays helped West to the tying runs.
In the four-run fourth, plays that could have been made weren’t. Damon Softcheck’s second RBI single put the Tigers ahead 4-3 and Koran’s blistering shot over the left-field fence two batters later provided breathing room.
“It was close up to that point,” Koran said. “That allowed us to get the momentum and we started playing good defense. They (Steelmen) have not been winning a lot, but they’re close almost every game. They play hard.”
Mike Grindstaff had two doubles and a sacrifice fly for West. Sophomore Alex Wesner, recently elevated to the varsity, had two hits and and RBI, Isaac Taylor added two hits and Scott Jennings chipped in with a unique hat trick — he was plunked with a pitch in three successive at-bats.
“They’re a pressure offensive team,” Juarez said of West. “We’ve been working on situational baseball, trying not to play faster than we have to, like we did at times today. We’re still young, and we still think instead of reacting.”
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