Amari Reed goes 3-for-3 in victory.
By Mike Miazga
Correspondent
The IC Catholic Prep baseball team split a recent Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division series with Aurora Central Catholic.
In an 11-8 home victory at Plunkett Athletic Complex, The Knights led 5-1 after the second inning, but trailed 7-5 heading into the bottom of the third. The Knights scored six runs over a three-inning stretch to pull back into the lead. IC Catholic Prep had 10 hits.
Trey Morris had a hit and two RBI. Joey Salvi had a hit and a run scored. Austin Reed had a hit, two runs scored, an RBI and walked three times. Brendan Russ had two hits and drew two walks. Griffen Eichhorn had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Amari Reed went 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Matt Sutton had two runs scored, an RBI and three walks.
IC Catholic Prep batters walked 12 times in the game. Morris and Salvi each had a double. Austin Reed stole two bases. The Knights stole five as a team.
Russ was the winning pitcher. He went three innings and struck out one. John Hoffman picked up the save. He went four innings and allowed three hits, no earned runs and struck out two.
The Knights then lost 4-2 to ACC in Aurora. The Knights were limited to three hits, two coming from Salvi (2-for-4, 2 runs scored). CJ West went 1-for-2 with an RBI. West’s hit was a triple. Austin Reed stole three bases and the knights had eight steals as a team. Russ and Salvi each had two stolen bases. The Knights walked eight more times (20 times in the series), but left nine runners on base.
IC Catholic Prep also dropped an 11-4 MSC crossover game to Elmwood Park. Elmwood Park led 7-1 after five innings. The Knights were 10-16 overall after the Elmwood Park game.
Tim Aspan had a hit for the Knights, while Alfonso Cepeda also had a hit and drew a walk. Sutton had a hit and a run scored. Morris went 2-for-2 with an RBI. Hoffman was 3-for-3 with a run scored. Russ drew two walks, while Austin Reed was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Salvi was 1-for-3 with two RBI. Sutton tripled in the game. Salvi took the loss. Cepeda, Sutton and CJ Slowinski also pitched in the contest.
In earlier action, IC Catholic Prep lost 3-2 to Ridgewood in MSC crossover play. The Knights led 1-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth, but Ridgewood scored two runs in the fifth and another in the bottom of the seventh to win it.
Morris had a hit and a run scored. Hoffman was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Russ went 2-for-2 with a run scored. Eichhorn had a hit. The Knights drew eight walks and left 11 runners on base. Russ had a double in the game.
Hoffman took the loss in relief of West. West went five innings and allowed seven hits and two earned runs.
