Dukes run through first half of conference season with 8-1 mark.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
The York baseball team continues to fire on all cylinders.
The Dukes won five more games last week without a loss to run their record to 16-2 overall and 8-1 in West Suburban Conference Silver Division play, which marks the unofficial first-half of the conference schedule.
“It’s pretty remarkable what we’re doing now in many different ways,” said York coach Dave Kalal. “We’ve had a lot of come-from-behind victories. Of the 16 wins, I’d say six or seven have been late-inning come-from-behind wins. We are never out of a game.”
York started the week with a three-game conference sweep of Proviso West where it outscored its opponent 69-6.
In an 18-5 win, York trailed 5-4 heading into the fourth inning, but then scored seven runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings. York had 14 hits.
Mike Pastuovic went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI. Nick Lee was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBI. Mike Bernal was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Joey Yaeger was 1-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Joey Chiappetta went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI. Andrew Deardurff had a hit and scored three runs in one official at-bat. Ryan Ross went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and an RBI. Austin Gelsomino had three run scored and an RBI and Mike Achepohl had an RBI. Chiappetta had two doubles, while Bernal had a double. Lee hit two triples.
Burke Corcoran was the winning pitcher. He threw a six-inning complete game and struck out four.
In a 26-1 win in five innings against Proviso West, York scored 14 runs in the first inning and six more in the second to take a 20-0 lead. York had 23 hits in the contest.
Zach Pflum went 2-for-2 with a run scored and two RBI. Lee went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Achepohl had a run scored and an RBI and two walks. Pastuovic had a hit, a run scored and an RBI. Bernal had a hit and an RBI. Kevin Lipkin scored three runs and had an RBI. Elliott Achepohl had a run scored, a hit and two RBI. Yaeger wnet 2-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBI. Jake Hadawi had an RBI. Chiappetta had two hits, two runs scored and two RBI. Brendan Connell had a hit, an RBI and a run scored. Deardurff had two hits, two runs scored and three RBI. Charlie Pakenas has three hits, two runs scored and two RBI. Ian Steinorth had two hits and two runs scored. Adam Hassler had a hit and two runs scored. Tamiane Durr had a hit, two runs scored and an RBI and Austin Gelsomino had two hits, a run scored and two RBI.
Connell, Steinorth, Lee and Pastuovic each had a double, while Deardurff hit a home run.
Hadawi was the winning pitcher. He went three innings and allowed two runs, while fanning five. Pakenas pitched the final inning.
York concluded the series with a 25-0 win at Proviso West. The Dukes scored 13 runs in the first inning and six more in the second to take a 19-0 lead. York had 21 hits.
Pastuovic had two hits, two runs scored and three RBI. Pflum scored two runs and had an RBI. Lee had two hits, two runs scored and two RBI. Elliott Achepohl had a hit, two runs scored and two RBI. Bernal had a hit, a run scored and two RBI. Lipkin had two runs scored and an RBI. Mike Patti had three hits, two runs scored and two RBI. Yaeger had a hit, two runs scored and two RBI. Chiappetta had two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Connell had three hits, a run scored and two RBI. Deardurff had two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Mike Achepohl had a run scored and an RBI. Steinorth had two hits, a run scored and two RBI. Hassler had a hit, a run scored and two RBI. Ross scored a run, while Durr had a hit, an RBI and a run scored.
Lee had two doubles, while Elliott Achepohl, Durr, Patti, Pastuovic, Chiappetta, Yaeger and Deardurff each had a double. York hit nine doubles in the game. Pastuovic tripled and Bernal hit a home run.
Henry Judge was the winning pitcher. He went five innings and allowed one run, while striking out 13 of the 20 batters he faced. Judge allowed five baserunners in the game.
York then recorded a 7-4 WSC Silver win over Glenbard West at home. York scored five runs in the first inning en route to the victory. The Dukes had 11 hits.
Lee had a hit. Bernal went 3-for-4. Lipkin scored two runs. Yaeger had two hits and two runs scored. Chiappetta had a hit, three RBI and a run scored. Deardurff had a run scored and two RBI. Stienorth had two hits and an RBI. Ross had two hits. Ross, Bernal and Yaeger each had a double.
Pakenas was the winning pitcher. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits. He struck out seven. Gelsomino pitched the final 1/3 of an inning and picked up the save.
York concluded the week with a 2-1 WSC crossover win against Downers Grove South. York won the game in the bottom of the seventh with two runs. Ross’ RBI single won the game.
York had three hits in the contest. Ross had two of the hits and drove in both runs. Pastuovic had the other hit, that being a triple.
Chiappetta was the winning pitcher in relief. He pitched 2/3 of an inning. Scott Tucker went the first 6 1/3 innings and allowed only five hits and no earned runs. He struck out five.
“It’s been everything this year,” said Kalal. “All three phases of the game (hitting, defense and pitching) have been working. It’s been a different guy on the team every game. Our defense and pitching have been phenomenal and that carries you at any level. Offensively, the production has been way up by everybody.”
Ross’ game-winning hit followed the recent one by Pastuovic that brought a halt to a 12-inning game.
“It’s been a new guy every day lately,” said Kalal.
Kalal noted Chiappetta worked out of a bases-loaded jam against Downers Grove South in the top of the seventh inning by retiring the Mustangs’ third and fourth hitters in the batting order.
“We’ve been a part of some good high-school baseball lately,” he said.
And then York came through at the plate down 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh to Downers South.
“It’s been unreal,” said Kalal. “After the Downers Grove South game you almost have to pinch yourself. They were up 1-0 in the seventh. Our first two guys in the seventh walked and then we did a double-steal and Ryan Ross drove both guys in. It’s been one of those years where almost everything you execute and the moves you make work. Everything has fallen into place. The Downers Grove South game was phenomenal high-school baseball. Both teams’ pitching was phenomenal and both teams played solid defense. It was a fun game to be part of.”
Kalal isn’t shocked at the team’s tremendous start. “We knew we had the ability, but being as young as we are right now, we didn’t know if we would produce quite this much yet at the varsity level,” he said. “It’s all come down to the big question mark we had at the beginning of the season and that’s been our pitching. We knew we would play defense and we knew we would score some runs by the way our summer went. We didn’t know about the pitching and our pitching has really stepped up. The guys have got the job done.”
York finished the first half of the conference slate at 8-1 and wraps up conference play with three-game series against Oak Park-River Forest, Hinsdale Central and Lyons Township.
“It will be a really exciting next three weeks of the season,” said Kalal. “It’s going to be fun to see how we measure up.”
York has been in five one-run games (4-1 record) and four two-run games (3-1 record).
“We’ve been able to pull out the close games,” said Kalal. “That’s only going to make us that much better heading into these last three weeks.”
York’s only losses this season have been to Downers Grove North in conference (3-2 in 8 innings) and to Lockport in a non-conference game (8-6).
