Naperville Central keeps DVC hopes alive

Updated: May 17, 2011 9:06PM

With three teams still vying for DuPage Valley Conference supremacy in the season’s final week, a poker game of sorts has surfaced.

In the case of both Glenbard North and Naperville Central, playing their respective aces on back-to-back afternoons proved necessary in order to stay close to Wheaton North.

A day after Glenbard North pulled into a second-place tie with a 2-1 victory Monday behind top starter Jason Bergmann, the ball was moved into the court of Redhawks’ senior left-hander Dan Ludwig.

Toeing the rubber for the final time at home, Ludwig didn’t disappoint in helping lead Naperville Central to a 4-1 victory Tuesday over Glenbard North.

Despite seeing his 12-inning scoreless streak go by the boards with an unearned run in the top of the seventh, Ludwig (7-2) tossed a complete game while scattering six hits and fanning seven.

“Everything was working as it should. It’s just (Tuesday) was a little more behind it than usual,” Ludwig said. “We’re in conference, it’s Coach’s (Bill Seiple) last (home) game, it’s our last game here and it’s something we really needed to win.”

The Redhawks (19-11, 14-6 DuPage Valley) got on the board in the second courtesy of a sacrifice fly from sophomore catcher Brian Schiemann before tacking on a couple more runs in the third after designated hitter Jake DeVoy singled home a pair of runs.

As one of six seniors, Ludwig wanted to make the most of Senior Day, also mindful of the fact it was also Seiple’s final home game in his 30-year career.

“I can’t think of any other coach that deserves it more than him,” Ludwig said. “There definitely was more behind us than usual.”

By virtue of Wheaton North’s 9-2 victory over Glenbard East on Tuesday, the Redhawks need a victory Wednesday at Glenbard North and a Falcons’ loss in order to earn a share of the DVC.

Considering the program had to replace its entire starting lineup from last season’s Class 4A state title outfit that won a program-record 38 games, still being alive for a DVC title share on the final day of conference play isn’t lost on Seiple.

“This really would be unbelievable, honestly,” Seiple said of his team being in position to earn at least a share of the conference title for a second straight year after going 20-1 through the DVC in 2010. “Going in, when you wipe a whole squad clean and then you take a Nick Ryan out of the equation, it’s unbelievable that these guys have competed. They really deserve a lot of credit for just being good, being tough.”

Both Anthony Keener  and Evin Natick went 2-for-3 for Glenbard North (19-10, 13-7 DuPage Valley), while left-hander Will Petrosky  was charged with the loss after going five innings and surrendering four runs, three earned, on seven hits.

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