DVC Baseball churns right along into the second conference series of the year, with Monday’s local duel featuring the Wildcats of Neuqua Valley making the small journey north to take on the Metea Valley Mustangs. The Wildcats took one game from the Naperville Central Redhawks to start the conference slate, while the Mustangs are searching for their first win of the month. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
It’s a pitching duel early
After the Mustangs score off an RBI groundout, the Wildcats get two men aboard from a walk and a line drive to center off the bat of Malachi Sherman. Now to the top of the third inning, where Neuqua breaks out a bunt after a leadoff walk. The sacrifice pushes Andy Barkley into scoring position for Christian Lott. Lott hits a rocket right at the defender for an inning-ending double play. In the fourth, the southpaw starter Griffin Lavery gets a swinging strikeout to strand a runner at first base before hitting a pop fly to get out of the inning. Joshua Repmann remains spotless to start the fourth with a leadoff strikeout before Diego Gutierrez singles to left field with one out, giving the Mustangs their first hit of the game. Now on base with an early jump, a low pickoff throw lets Gutierrez advance. Despite the danger, Repmann navigates another scoreless frame with help from his defense.
Tie game through seven
The fifth inning starts with Sherman’s second single of the evening; he’d go on to end as the only player with multiple knocks. He advances to second on another sacrifice bunt to the pitcher before getting to third on a groundball by Barkley. Emmitt Briner then raises one to right field on the first pitch he sees for a run-scoring double to tie it up at one apiece. Repmann starts his fifth inning the same as the fourth, with another strikeout. Next to the plate is Tyler Gluting, who sends one into the outfield for a double, but he’s left on the bases to go to the sixth. Sam Widloe leads off the inning with a single up the middle, allowing Neuqua’s small-ball to take effect. Back-to-back sacrifice bunts move Widloe to third base, but another stranded baserunner keeps the game tied. The same story continues as Liam McManamon singles to begin the home half of the sixth. Both starters battle through the seventh and shove the game into extra innings.
The Wildcats pull through
The eighth starts in a big way, when, on a 3-1 count, Lott sends a ball out of Jim Schmid Field to give Neuqua a 2-1 lead. A few batters later, LAVERY ends his day with 7.1 innings of work, totaling two earned runs on six hits and four walks while striking out four on the 105 pitch limit. Next, Tyler Kalnicky records the final two outs. Repmann, on for the eighth with a lead, has the bottom and top of the lineup due up. A leadoff single from Diego Bastidas sets up Gluting to elevate a ball, but Repmann gets him to ground one to Lott, who gets one end of the potential double-play. With the tying run in scoring position, Carter Behrns shoots one to the gap, but it is tracked down by Matthew Mikuta. Repmann finishes the job with a looking strikeout, securing the complete game win while allowing just one unearned run on four hits and two walks. The Wildcats grab a 2-1 win, with the series continuing on Tuesday.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page.
