Willowbrook's hitters rose to the challenge against a Warriors pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.5 runs allowed on Friday. The Willowbrook Warriors sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 10-9 win over the Lincoln-Way West Warriors. Winning may never get old, but Willowbrook sure is getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Joe McNeice looked comfortable as he tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Willowbrook got a big performance out of Jake Bonino, who scored two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Ryan Bannon was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
On Lincoln-Way West's side, Antony Vita was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (and only one walk). Vita has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Anthony Massa and Ian Hazelip stepped up to the plate in a big way. Massa went 5-for-6 with four RBI, a run, and a double, while Hazelip got on base in three of his six plate appearances with three runs, a triple, and an RBI. Another player making a difference was Conor Essenburg, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5.
Even though they lost, Lincoln-Way West didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Willowbrook only tossed six.
Willowbrook is on a roll lately: they've won 14 of their last 15 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 23-9-2 record this season. As for Lincoln-Way West, they are on a three-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 24-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Willowbrook will face off against Glenbard West at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. Glenbard West is on a three-game streak of home wins, Willowbrook a nine-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the field. As for Lincoln-Way West, they will head out on the road to square off against Plainfield North at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Lincoln-Way West's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Plainfield North's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
