By Drake Skleba
For the Bugle
“ I was really nervous out there on the mound. Down two runs. East had the bases loaded and the heart of their lineup coming up to the plate”- Brady Shelton Plainfield South junior pitcher.
Just a little mess, the side-winding junior southpaw came into in Wednesday’s crucial,Southwest Prairie Conference game at South. After rallying past South on Monday 4-3, Plainfield East (17-8, 7-5) had a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh.
Shelton, who came in relief of Cougar Jimmy Fitzmaurice, who loaded the bases on a single to East’s Ryan Skiba a double from leadoff man Sean Rivera and plunked the red-hot Nick Pratscher (1-for-2, BB, 2RBI). Enter the Cougar junior side-winder.
“We were really up against it, being down two runs and I brought Brady into the game, because I knew he could get us some ground balls,” Plainfield South head coach Phil Bodine said.
The ever-dangerous Sean Blanchard hit a ground ball to Cougar shortstop Griffin Lapp, who fired a strike to catcher Justin McGuigan for the force at the plate and the first out of the inning. Bengal cleanup-hitter Jack Crowder hit a topper in front of the plate that McGuigan pounced on and tagged home plate for the second out of the inning.
Riley Morris, stole home plate to tie the game in the fourth inning at 2-2, hit a roller to Lapp who tagged second base for the third out of the inning.
“I had to bear down and keep us in the game,” Shelton said. “I did my best and I was able to pitch out of the jam and then we get three runs to get me the win. I was really, really nervous, though”
“Huge win for us and Ryan and Tony, hit big home runs, too.”
Mosher led off the bottom of the seventh, by depositing the Bengal’s hard-luck losing pitcher Reid Erickson’s fast ball over the left field fence. The solo shot was the third of the season for Mosher and pulled the Cougars within 4-3.
“Brady Shelton. Brady’s performance in the seventh really hyped us,” Mosher said. “And then when I powered one out of here to make it 4-3, we really were lit up”.
Ryan Pawlak, who’s two-run bomb to left-center in the second inning gave the Cougars a 2-1 lead, singled. Cougar pinch-hitter Alex Lekovish singled and end the day for Erickson. Dylan Sullivan came into the game for the Bengals.
Sullivan struck out the first Cougar he faced. A crucial Bengal error off the bat of McGuigan, allowed “little bro” pinch-runner Jeremy McGuigan to score the tying run. Griffin Lapp was plunked by Sullivan to load the bases with one out.
Connor Blake (1-for-3) hit a slow roller to Bengal second baseman, Morris, who fired a strike to shortstop Rivera for the force at second. Blake beat the relay as Lekovish happily scored the winning run.
“We have had a rough stretch the last third of the season,” Ryan Pawlak said. “It felt good to come out on top, today. Our big junior (Shelton) came up with great pitching in the seventh, to give us a chance. I’ve been struggling at the plate and it felt good but I just hit it and happily it went over the fence.”
“Single to single. Pass the bats,” Lekovish said. “I went up there to get on base. It felt great to come away with the big win.”
“Brady Shelton. Brady’s performance in the seventh really hyped us,” Mosher said. “And then when I powered one out of here to make it 4-3, we really were lit up”.
After two Cougar errors in the fifth, the red-hot Pratscher ripped a two-run single to right that scored Skiba and Rivera, who reached on errors for a 4-2 Bengal lead.
All four Bengal runs against Plainfield South starting pitcher Austin Richardson (5IP, 4R, 2H, 0ER, 5K, 5BB) were unearned. The Cougars committed an uncharacteristic four errors in the game.
“We have been on the positive side of games like this all season,” Plainfield East coach Adam O’Reel said. “We are now 7-1 in one-run games this year. It will be interesting to see how the kids respond, from losing a one-run game.”
“Reid pitched outstanding for us tonight. We couldn’t add on to our lead in the seventh, which eventually cost us the game.”
For Plainfield South (21-6, 10-4) another edition of “The Plainfield Civil War”, beings tomorrow on the “North Side.” The defending Class 4A Tigers (15-7, 10-2), who have won 12 in a row, have a 1 ½ game lead over the Cougars heading into Thursday’s showdown. The two clubs will return to the South Side on Monday at 4:30.
“We played like crap!,” Bodine added. “We were lifeless out there today for six innings. Brady’s outstanding pitching in the top of the seventh, woke them up. Tony’s blast got us going and Ryan Pawlak and Alex Lekovish, had great at bats. We can’t continue to play like this or we will win nothing.”
“North has been beating everybody the last two years,” Mosher added. “I think it’s our turn to turn the tables on them this year. This great win today, really will give us the confidence, going into the huge series with North.”
“One game at a time. God-willing we will get where, we want to be.”
SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE
Plainfield North 15-7 11-2
Plainfield South 21-6 10-4
Oswego East 15-8 8-5
Plainfield East 17-8 7-5
Oswego 14-11 8-6
Plainfield Central 19-9 7-6
Romeoville 8-17 5-8
Joliet West 13-14 4-8
Minooka 7-14 3-9
Joliet Central 8-18 2-12
THURSDAY
Plainfield South at Plainfield North 4:30
Plainfield Central at Oswego East 4:30
Romeoville at Plainfield East 4:30
FRIDAY
Plainfield East at Joliet West (2) 2 p.m.