Baseball Recap: Belvidere North Gets the Win

Belvidere North came out on top against Jefferson on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run third inning. The Blue Thunder walked away with a 6-3 victory over the J-Hawks. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 15-3 on Wednesday.

Andrew Bucci made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one double.

Hunter Wargo

Batters Struck Out

05/08/26 @ Jefferson	5
04/30/26 vs Woodstock	3
04/21/26 @ Guilford	3
04/11/26 @ Sterling	6

In other pitching news, Hunter Wargo looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April.

Back at the plate, Belvidere North let Rylan Zuroske and Brayden Lewis run wild. Zuroske went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Lewis went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Zuroske has become a key player for Belvidere North: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 8-9-1 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Austin Hackworth, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.

The win made it two in a row for Belvidere North and bumps their season record up to 12-9-1. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Jefferson, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-14-2.

We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. Belvidere North will square off against rival Hononegah at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, Jefferson is set to challenge their familiar foe Boylan Catholic at 4:30 p.m. on Monday.