Lake Forest hasn't had much luck against Mundelein recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Scouts will host the Mustangs at 4:45 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Lake Forest barely beat Indian Trail the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Scouts were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over the Hawks on Saturday. Considering the Scouts' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Jack Lamberti
| 05/17/25 @ Indian Trail | 4 |
| 03/25/25 @ Tinley Park | 3 |
| 05/21/24 vs Taft | 3 |
| 04/20/24 vs Crystal Lake Central | 3 |
| 05/05/25 @ Waukegan | 2 |
Jack Lamberti and Ryan Valentincic did most of the damage at the plate: Lamberti went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double, while Valentincic went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave Lamberti a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Bink Hartline, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs.
Lake Forest always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .526. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Indian Trail only posted an OBP of .259.
Meanwhile, Mundelein had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Saturday. They walked away with a 14-10 win over the Spartans. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Mustangs, who until this game were averaging 3.14 runs allowed.
Caden Earing was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 2.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brandon Marano, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and one double. Jake Junia was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Mundelein's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 21-6-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Lake Forest, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 13-16.
Lake Forest couldn't quite get it done against Mundelein when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 7-2. Can the Scouts avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
