DVC baseball starts conference action with Waubonsie Valley vying for a series sweep over Metea Valley on a Thursday afternoon. The Warriors took both Game 1 and 2 earlier in the week, with the programs trending in different directions. Waubonsie has won four straight entering the contest, while the Mustangs are still winless in April. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Nathan Napolitano gets the start for Waubonsie and opens the outing against Oklahoma commit Tyler Gluting, who already has two home runs this series. The righty’s changeup gets the chase for the leadoff strikeout.
Shane Torres powers the Warriors to an early lead
Metea gets a man aboard for Dayton Ramiscal, who goes the other way for a double, putting two Mustangs in scoring position; but Napolitanio dials up the heat on the next batter for his second punchout of the inning, stranding a pair.
Waubonsie strings together two baserunners who each advance on a wild pitch. On a two-strike count, Oakland commit Shane Torres torpedoes a ball over the fence to the pull-side for an early 3-0 Warrior lead.
Torres then eliminates the run game from behind the plate in the second inning.
Metea gets the bats going in a big second inning
After a Griffin Lavery single and a groundout from Owen Goeb, Metea’s backstop, Diego Bastidas, slices one down the line to get the Mustangs on the board with an RBI triple.
Tyler Gluting adds an RBI double to give Metea another run before Carter Behrns finds some space on the right side for a game-tying seeing-eye single as Gluting scores from second.
After a short meeting at the mound, the Mustangs capitalize on an infield single from Michael Willhite that kicks off the mound. A fourth Metea run in the frame as Behrns comes in to score to make it 4-3 Metea. But Napolitano stops the bleeding there with another inning-ending K.
Ahead to the bottom of the third, Parker Howland and Scott Gillen hit back-to-back knocks to bring Torres up to the plate. His single to the right side ties the game, and Waubonsie takes the lead a few seconds later on a wild pitch.
Metea’s starter Kayden Nimer pops off the mound to field his position and keep it a one-run game in the third. In the bottom of the fourth. Nimer, still throwing, continues to flash the leather on the attempted sacrifice bunt, cutting down a runner at the plate.
The Warriors extend the lead
But the Waubonsie offensive is not held down for long; the scoring continues, highlighted by an RBI opposite-field line drive from Ryan Lucas to score Cole Ruggieri. Parker Howland follows with an RBI single to score Tate Bartzen to make it 7-4.
Now in the sixth inning, Napolitano surrenders two base runners before striking out his fifth batter of the outing to end his day, maintaining the three-run lead.
Waubonsie adds another insurance run in the sixth after Nate Cerilli’s groundball is botched, bringing the lead to four with Scott Gillen coming in to score. The Warriors turn to Cameron Delahoussaye Duh luh hoo-say to close it out.
Waubonsie hangs on for the sweep
The reliever gets into early trouble, first from a leadoff single from Tyler Darche and a walk to Diego Guttierez. But the Warrior pitcher gets Goeb to pop out and Bastidas to ground into a fielder’s choice.
With the dangerous Tyler Gluting at the plate, Delahoussaye induces a groundball to end the ballgame. The Warriors secure the opening series sweep and vault to the top of the DVC standings, the lone undefeated team through three games after a high-powered trio of contests.
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