Baseball Defeats Dwight Englewood 8-1

PARK RIDGE - Park Ridge defeated the visiting Dwight Englewood Bulldogs 8-1 in a key April 29 BCSL Olympic conference game.

Although they emerged victorious, the Owls briefly trailed in the second inning after Dwight-Englewood’s Mike Pacheco crushed a solo home run to give his team a 1-0 lead.

"It was still early in the ball game so I wasn’t overly concerned, "said Park Ridge coach Pete Crandall.

Nor should he have been. The Owls (9-5) offense has been downright explosive through the early part of the 2010 season. They are currently sporting a team batting average of .345, not to mention a healthy on-base percentage of .452 to go along with a league-leading 14 long balls.

In the bottom of the second Park Ridge rallied to score six runs.

Chris Lanzilotti was the first to cross the plate when Dan McEldowney drove him in with a base hit through the second base hole.

Three batters later Jake Vitaliano came to bat with the bases loaded and delivered a single to right, scoring McEldowney and Ryan Bartz.

Up next came Zach Carroll, who entered the contest with a team-high four home runs, all of which have come in his last nine at bats. The senior stayed true to form as he blasted a 3-2 fastball deep over the left field fence.

"He tried pitching me inside," said Carroll, whose hit gave the Owl’s a 6-1 lead. "But I was able to turn on it and make great contact to send it deep."

The five-run cushion gave Park Ridge’s starting pitcher Austin Clemente all the support he needed. The righty finished the day going six strong innings, striking out five Bulldogs.

"I was a little wild at the beginning of the game and because of it I gave up too many walks," he said. "But I was able to settle down and work my changeup and fastball with some effectiveness to get out of a couple jams. I also know we have a very capable offense and as long as I did my part we would be fine."

Clemente received further help from his batters in the bottom of the third inning when Park Ridge tacked on two more runs.

Matt Misley was able to improve on his team-high .562 batting average and 19 RBI’s with a two-run single, scoring Bartz and Vitaliano. From that point the two teams were scoreless as the 8-1 deficit proved to be too much for Dwight-Englewood.

The Bulldogs (4-8) found themselves with several runners in scoring position in the fifth and seventh innings, but each time they came up empty as Park Ridge pitchers found ways to get out of trouble.

Dan Wuhrman relieved Clemente in the top of the seventh and he induced two pop outs and a ground out to nail down the victory.

BY JUSTIN STOFKOPER

Northern Valley Suburbanite