Varsity On Tuesday the Hornets opened up the IHSA State Tournament in Darien hosting the Bolingbrook Raiders. The Hornets and Bolingbrook played a very good high school baseball game. The Hornets scored the first run of the game in the third when Colten Kotecki led off the inning with a single; stole second, and then scored on Evan Zenger’s single to right. The Hornets added three insurance runs in the sixth when Frankie Klemm led off the inning with a double. Klemm advanced to third on Matt Uba’s single and then scored on Paris Lewis’ single to center. Jake Klepacz and John Colucci both followed with RBI singles to extend the lead to 4-0. John Colucci picked up his 9th win of the season striking out 11 and allowing 4 hits and 1 run. Colucci added to his record setting win total of 23 career wins as the Hornets defeated Bolingbrook 4-1 and advance in the play-offs. The Hornets are now 19-12on the season.
On Thursday the Hornets season came to a screeching halt losing a heartbreaker in Naperville against Plainfield Central. The Hornets lost the game in 11 innings by a score of 8-7. The Hornets couldn’t hold a 7-5 lead going into the 9th inning and eventually ran out of gas in the 11th. The Hornets were led offensively by Paris Lewis, Jack Lombardo, Bobby O’Donnell, Evan Zenger and Colten Kotecki who each had two hits. Matt Uba added a single to the 11 hit attack. The Hornets played an uncharacteristically sloppy game on defense allowing only 4 earned runs in the game; however the Hornets never stopped competing. In typical Hornet fashion the team played their hearts out and should be commended on an excellent season. The Hornets finish the season 19-13 overall and West Suburban Gold 2018 Conference Champions.
Week of May 14th
Varsity The Hornets opened up the all-important three game series with Leyden at home on Monday. The Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth scoring Jack Lombardo and John Colucci on a Ryan Kuhlman single to left. The Hornets added an insurance run in the sixth on a solo homer by Jake Klepacz. That was all John Colucci needed as he shutout the Eagles by tossing a 4 hitter and striking out nine while walking no one. Colucci also set the school record of career wins with 22. Colucci broke the record that was held by Kyle Nelson (class of 98) The Hornets are now 12-4 in conference and 16-11 overall.
On Tuesday the Hornets traveled to Franklin Park in a must win situation. The Hornets scored in every inning except the first and the seventh; pounding out 13 hits and scoring 7 run en-route to 7-1 victory. The Hornets were led offensively by Bobby O’Donnell, Colton Kotecki, Evan Zenger, and Matt Uba who all had 2 hits apiece. Ryan Kuhlman, Jack Lombardo, Frankie Klemm, Jake Klepacz and Paris Lewis each added a hit. On the mound Frankie Klemm was sparking allowing 3 hits in 6 innings. Klemm struck out 12 and utilized all three of his pitches to dominate the game. Evan Zenger threw a scoreless 7th in relief. The Hornets are now 13-4 in conference and 17-11 overall.
On Thursday the conference title came down to one game. The Hornets trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth scored 3 runs in exciting fashion. Jake Klepacz led off the inning getting hit by a pitch. Jack Lombardo followed with a single and Bobby O’Donnell laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases for Ryan Kuhlman. Kuhlman came up with the biggest hit of the season with a ground rule double to left driving in two runs. Connor Madden laid down the perfectly executed suicide squeeze plating O’Donnell with the third run. Matt Uba was stellar on the mound; pitching all 7 innings to get the win. Uba struck out 8, walked 2, and walked 4 in his shutout victory of Leyden. (3-0) The Hornets captured their 11th conference title in school history by winning 11 of their last 12 conference games to finish the conference season with a 14-4 mark.
On Saturday the Hornets finished the regular season with a non-conference crossover loss to Glenbard West by a score of 5-3. The Hornets out hit the Glenbard West 8-6 but fell short on the scoreboard. The Hornets were led offensively by Evan Zenger who had 2 hits. Frankie Klemm, Paris Lewis, Bobby O’Donnell, Mike Early, Connor Madden, and Colton Kotecki each added a hit. Mike McCormack picked up the loss allowing 3 earned run in three innings. JR Rickert was stellar in relief throwing 3 scoreless innings. The Hornets finished the regular season with a record of 18-12 and will open up the IHSA play-off hosting Bolingbrook at home on Tuesday 5-22-18.
Sophomore Sophomore baseball got back to its winning ways with a 12/5 win against Leyden. Tyler Anderson and Lucas Cunningham had 2 hits a piece in the charge. They both have been swinging hot bats lately. Logan McGilney got the win and Kyle Cattaneo came in to finish the game.
Freshman
Week of May 7th
Varsity The Hornets opened an important three game series with the DGS Mustangs in Downers Grove on Monday. This series will have a huge impact in the conference race this year. The Mustangs scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first taking a 1-0 lead into the third inning; when the Hornets exploded for three runs of their own. Matt Uba, Paris Lewis, Jake Klepacz, and Evan Zenger all had key hits in the third inning. The Hornets added another three runs in the fourth; highlighted by Bobby O’Donnell’s deep homer to right center. John Colucci, Ryan Kuhlman, and Frankie Klemm had hits in the inning. Klemm with a big two RBI single. In the fifth the Hornets added another two runs on the strength of a Paris Lewis single, a Jake Klepacz triple and Jack Lombardo’s double. Frankie Klemm was brilliant on the mound going six innings and allowing only 2 earned runs. Klemm struck out 6 and allowed 5 hits on his way to the victory. Matt Uba pitched a perfect seventh to preserve the win. (8-4) The Hornets moved into a tie in conference with the Mustangs and are now 10-3 in conference and 14-9 overall.
On Tuesday the series shifted to Alumni Field in Darien and the Hornets had their ace John Colucci on the mound. Colucci was brilliant allowing only two hits in the game and shutting down the DGS offense. Colucci went all 7 innings; striking out 5 and walking no one; on his way to the 1-0 victory. Jake Klepacz had the game winning hit in the third inning driving in Frankie Klemm. Colucci also tied the school career record of wins with his 21st career victory and it couldn’t have been in a bigger game. The Hornets moved into sole possession of the conference race and are now 11-3 and 15-9 overall.
On Thursday the series moved back to Downers Grove and the Mustangs took full advantage of the home field. Mustangs’ pitcher Cam Crowley 1 hit the Hornets and the Mustangs won the game 3-1. Matt Uba picked up the loss but pitched well; allowing only 1 earned run over 4 innings. The Hornets are now in a tie with the Mustangs in the conference race and will need a 3 game sweep vs. Leyden to win the conference title. The Hornets are now 11-4 in conference and 15-10 overall.
On Saturday the Hornets played a non-conference match-up with silver rival Lyons Township. The Hornets lost 7-2 in a rain soaked ball game. The Hornets out hit LT and were led offensively by John Colucci 2-3, Evan Zenger 2-4, Jack Lombardo 1-3 with a double and Frankie Klemm 1-3 with a double. Mike McCormack picked up the loss allowing 5 hits, 5 walks, and 5 runs in 5 innings. Ross Wenkus threw a scoreless inning in relief. The Hornets are now 15-11 overall.
Sophomore The Sophomore baseball dropped the first two games to DGS. Game one Jared Herchenbach threw a gem but took the loss 8/4. Without much defensive support Coach Duck thought the game was more of a 5/2 win. Pitch for pitch I thought we outplayed them. If you make a mistake good teams exploit you. That happened twice.
In game two Logan McGilney pitched a gem as well. He took the loss 2/1. This game was some bad base running and a umpire miscue. I try and teach the kids not to let the umpire determine an outcome. But this one hurt us. DGS is undefeated in conference so a win thursday will be big.
Freshman Anticipating a heated series against the Downers Grove South Mustangs, the Hornets looked to bounce back from a rough weekend. In game one Max Nicholas threw 3 solid innings of 2 run baseball against the potent Mustang offense. Due to a high pitch count Max was chased from the game and handed the ball to Derek Potts. Derek delivered his best pitching performance of the year, going 3 innings strong allowing only 1 earned run. Offensively the Hornets chipped away at the Mustang lead and put themselves in a position to force extra innings. In the bottom of the seventh the Hornets pushed across 2 runs thanks to quality at bats from Jacob Jones, Leo McClellan, Donovan Domanski and Lucas Kozac. Unfortunately in the top of the 8th innning the Mustang offense exploded to score 7 runs. The Hornets fell 5 - 12.
Game 2 turned into a pitchers duel as both starting pitchers held the opposing teams to low scoring numbers. Leo McClellan threw a gem, going 5 innings strong only allowing 1 earned run and 2 runs total. Unfortunately, the Hornets offense couldn’t muster many runs themselves. Jack Nick also pitched well but ultimately the Hornets lost by a final score of 1 - 4.
In the final game of the series the Hornets came home and handed the ball to Tristan Shauer. The game was tight early on as the Hornets offense hung around with a score of 6-4. Tristan was chased due to a high pitch count and the depleted pitching staff for the Hornets allowed the Mustang offense to catch fire. Offensively Donovan Domanski continued to slug well and Jacob Jones added a few quality at bats. The Hornets fell by a final score of 5 - 16.
Week of April 30th
Varsity On Monday (4/30) the Hornets hosted Proviso East for the first game of the three game series. The Hornets jumped out to an early lead scoring six runs in the 1st inning. The Hornets had 11 hits and 4 walks en route to a 15-0 five inning win. The Hornets had three hits from Matt Uba and two hits from John Colucci. This was Senior Night and four senior pitchers etched their way into the record book. Matt Uba started the game on the mound and went two innings of no hit ball; followed by Sam Hanson, Ross Wenkus, and JR Rickert all throwing an inning and allowing no hits. This combined no hitter was the sixth no hitter in the history of the school. The Hornets are now 9-8 overall and 5-3 in the West Suburban Gold Conference.
On Tuesday (5/1) the Hornets traveled to Maywood for game 2 of the 3 game series vs Proviso East. The Hornets won by a final of 13-5. Offensively the Hornets were led by Evan Zenger. Zenger went 2-2. Jake Klepacz, Matt Uba, Bobby O’Donnell, Nick Zelenik, David Nkansah, Mike McCormack, JR Rickert and Max Cilek each added a hit. The winning pitcher was Evan Zenger who allowed 0 runs in two innings of work. Owen Dellamaria struck out 6 hitters in two innings of relief and JR Rickert struck out 6 in the last 3 innings of the game. The Hornets are now 10-8 overall and 6-3 in conference.
On Wednesday (5/2) the Hornets hosted Morton in game 2 of their series with the Mustangs. The Hornets pounded out 11 hits and scored 10 runs. The Hornets were led offensively by Jake Klepacz; 4-4 with three RBI’s and Evan Zenger; 3-3 with four runs scored. Frankie Klemm picked up the win by going 5 and a third innings of two hit baseball. Klemm struck out eight and walked nobody. The Hornets are now 11-8 overall and 7-3 in conference.
On Thursday (5/3) the Hornets finished the 3 game series vs. Proviso East with a 12-0 victory at home. Michael McCormack picked up the win allowing just one hit and striking out four in 3 innings of work. Ross Wenkus struck out five hitters in two innings of relief. The Hornets were led offensively by juniors Frankie Klemm and Evan Zenger who each had two hits. The Hornets are now 12-8 and 8-3 in conference.
On Friday (5/4) the Hornets traveled to Cicero to take on Morton in the final of the 3 game series. The Hornets were victorious by a score of 12-0. The Hornets were led by Jack Lombardo who went 2-3 with a double and a home run. Lombardo had 4 RBI’s. Jake Klepacz added two hits and Colton Kotecki added two RBI’s. John Colucci picked up the win going 4 innings; allowing 0 hits while striking out 9. JR Rickert threw the final inning in relief. The Hornets are now 13-8 overall and 9-3 in conference.
On Saturday (5/5) the Hornets ended a very busy week by losing at home to a very good York team. The Hornets spotted the Dukes 3 runs in the first inning but then settled down and made a game of it by scoring one run in the bottom of the first and a run in the fourth. The Hornets only had two hits on the day. (Bobby O’Donell and Nick Zelenik) The Hornets are now 13-9 overall and 9-3 in conference. The conference race has now tightened up as the Hornets only trail DGS (10-2) by one game with a big three game series coming up with the Mustangs. Sophomore Sophomore baseball continued its winning ways against Morton with a 14/1 win on Wednesday. They ran there conference record to 6/2. Jared Herchenbach got the win and James Ruzicka led the way with 3 hits.
On Friday the Sophomore baseball completed the sweep with Morton with a score of 15/1 to improve its conference record to 7/2. Ricky Lepic got the win. Kyle Cattaneo led the charge with 3 hits and Sawyer Jones had 2 doubles. On Saturday the Sophomore baseball team lost 2 at York. In the first game we came from behind to take a 6/4 lead in the fourth and the bottom of the fifth the defense and pitching fell apart and yielded 12 runs. We have to get back on track and get some momentum going into a big series with Downers Grove South. Freshman After poor weather caused a reschedule earlier in the year, the Morton Mustangs came to Hinsdale South for the second game in a 3 game conference series. The Hornets were able to quickly end the game with a final score of 20 - 4. Offensively the Hornets were paced by strong showings from Donovan Domanski and Josh Lindstrom. Donovan powered 2 doubles and had 4 rbis. Josh had two strong line drives up the middle and provided a strong offensive backbone for the Hornets big day. On the mound, Max Nicholas pitched a complete game allowing only 1 earned run.
The Hornets were beaten by the Mustangs in the series finale by a final score of 4 - 15. The Mustangs offense was relentless as the depleted Hornets could not hold off the hits. Jack Nick closed out the final innings throwing 2 innings with 3 earned runs.
The week ended with a trip to play the York Dukes. Game one was started by Tristan Shauer who threw 4 innings and kept the Hornets in the game. Offensively Tristan added 2 hits and 3 stolen bases. Bradley Reinhart added a 2 run single early on in the 2nd inning. Unfortunately the Hornets fell 4 - 14. In game 2 the Hornets came out early with some hits but also fell by a late rally to a score of 7 - 9. Jack Nick added 2 hits in this game.
Week of April 23rd
Varsity On Monday (4/23) the Hornets traveled to Addison Trail to take on the Blazers. The Hornets jumped out to an early lead scoring one run in both the 1st and 2nd innings. Addison Trail came back with 5 runs in the third inning to take a 5-2 lead. The Hornets then countered with a five run inning of their own to take a 7-5 lead into the bottom of the 5th. The Trailblazers would not give up scoring 2 runs in the 6th and another 2 in the 7th to win in walk off fashion. Final score AT 9, HS 8. The Hornets had 7 hits and 3 walks. Matt Uba led the Hornets going 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Ryan Kuhlman, Frankie Klemm, Evan Zenger, and Paris Lewis each added a hit for the Hornets. The Hornets are now 7-6 overall and 3-1 in conference.
On Tuesday (4/24) the Hornets hosted Addison Trail in game 2 of the 3 game series. Once again the Hornets lost a heartbreaker. The Hornets led 3-2 going into the top of the seventh but just couldn’t pull it out; and for the second day in a row the Hornets lost the 7th inning lead and the game by a score of 4-3. The Hornets had 7 hits and 3 walks on offense. The Hornets are now 7-7 overall and 3-2 in conference.
On Thursday (4/26) the Hornets completed the series with a win at Addison Trail by a score of 8-3. The Hornets pounded out 13 hits and were led offensively by Jake Klepacz who went 3-4 with two runs scored and two RBI’s. Jack Lombardo went 3-4 with three RBI’s. Evan Zenger and Ryan Kuhlman each had two hits. Matt Uba picked up the win by going 3 innings and allowing 3 earned runs. JR Rickert and John Colucci each threw two scoreless innings of relief to hold and save the game. The Hornets are now 8-7 overall and 4-2 in conference.
On Saturday (4/28) the Hornets traveled to Willowbrook High school to finish the 3 game series with the Warriors. John Colucci faced the Warriors for the third time and was unable to beat them three times in a season as Willowbrook beat the Hornets 7-3. Colucci pitched 5 innings giving up 4 earned runs. Offensively the Hornets were led by Jake Klepacz and Matt Uba who both went 2-4 on the day. The Hornets are now 8-8 on the season and 4-3 in conference.
Sophomore On Monday the Sophomore baseball bats came alive on Monday trouncing Addison Trail 14/3. They never knew what hit them as Jake Fulscher and Kyle Cattaneo led the charge with 3 hits each. Ricky Lepic pitched 5 strong innings for the win.
Sophomore baseball took game 2 at Addison from come behind fashion. Down 4/0 in the fourth the line drives started to fall. We have really been pounding the ball lately and I told the kids to hang in there. Rynkar came up with 2 big hits and Metzger had good at bats all game. Logan McGilney got the win.
On Thursday the Sophomore baseball team completed the sweep of Addison Trail 8/6. Jared Herchenbach threw 6 innings for the win. Nathan Pomey came in for the save. James Ruzicka has been swinging a hot bat of late led the charge with 2 hits
On Saturday the Sophomore baseball team got back on track with a 10/3 win over Willowbrook. Ricky Lepic threw 5 strong innings for the win. Jared Herchenbach came up with 2 big hits. Sophs improve to 5/2 in the Gold
Freshman Addison Trail came to Hinsdale South on Monday as the start of another conference series began. The Hornets took an early lead thanks to clutch at bats from Bradley Reinhart and Tristan Shauer. Bradley finished the game with 2 runs scored and 1 rbi while Tristan tallied 5 base hits and 3 steals. The real hero of the game was Glen “buffest 3rd basemen in the league” Hogan, who came up in the bottom of the 7th with 2 outs and delivered a screaming line drive to right field for a walk off winning single. The Hornets won 4 - 3.
Following the success of Monday’s walk off thriller, the Hornets looked to take game 2 on Tuesday. Max Nicholas gave the Hornets a good chance to win by keeping us in the game and throwing 4 strong innings. Max handed the ball of to Jack Nick who kept it close for 2 ⅓ innings before finally giving it over to Glen Hogan to close it out on the mound. In a back and forth offensive contest, the Hornets found themselves trailing by 3 (10 - 7) runs in the top of the 7th inning. Tristan Shauer started the inning with a single before Donny Lowdermilk powered a long homerun over the right field wall. This was Donny’s second homerun of the season and more importantly pushed the Hornets within 1 run of Addison Trail. Following quality at bats from Jacob Jones, Glen Hogan, Jaden Salverredy and Leo McClellan the Hornets pushed across 3 more runs and took a 2 run lead. We took game two by a final score of 12 - 10.
Friday night brought the rivalry matchup of Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central along with a storm and cold weather. The Hornets played through the bad weather but unfortunately lost by a score of 2 - 10. Some late offense was provided by Jacob Jones who put together a few nice at bats and also threw a scoreless 1-2-3 inning on the mound.
The week was finished with the final game against conference rival Willobrook on saturday. Despite a gutsy performance on the mound by Tristan Shauer the Hornets fell 1 - 3. Tristan also came around to score the Hornets only run.
Week of April 16th
Varsity On Thursday (4/19) the Hornets hosted Morton for the first game of the three game series. The Hornets jumped out to an early lead scoring five in the 1st inning. The Hornets had 5 hits and 12 walks in route to a 10 -0 five inning win. The Hornets had two hits from Ryan Kuhlman, and single hits from Bobby O’Donnell, Jake Klepacz, and Paris Lewis. John Colucci had 3 RBI’S. Bobby O’Donnell and Paris Lewis each had 2 RBI’S a piece. John Colucci went 3 innings to pick up the win. Colucci is now 5-1 on the season. Matt Uba threw 1 & 2/3 innings in relief; allowing 0 hits and 0 runs while striking out 4. The Hornets are 6-4 overall and 3-0 in the West Suburban Gold Conference.
On Friday (4/20) the Hornets hosted Oak Park River Forest in a West Suburban Cross over game. The Hornets were trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the sixth when they plated two runs. The Hornets tried to put together a 7th inning but fell short. The Hornets lost by a final of 7-3 to a very good Oak Park team. Offensively the Hornets were led by Matt Uba. Uba went 2-2 with a run scored and two walks. Paris Lewis, Jack Lombardo, Evan Zenger and Jake Klepacz each added a hit. The losing pitcher was Michael McCormack. McCormack pitched 4 and 2/3 innings allowing 4 earned runs on 6 hits, while striking out 2. JR Rickert threw 1 and 2/3 innings of relief and Frankie Klemm pitched to the last two batters striking out both of them. The Hornets are now 7-5 overall.
Sophomore On Thursday the Sophomore baseball team won against Morton 13 to 0. Logan McGinley was stellar on the mound going 5 strong innings and Jared Herchenbach threw well the last inning. Everybody contributed with hits and it was good to finally play a game.
Sophomore baseball split a doubleheader Saturday with Oak Park. The boys came out flat the first game and lost 10/1. They responded with a win in the nightcap with a 10/7 win. Cole Bozzi went 7 strong innings for the win and Sean Murray added 2 hits. The team is ready for a series vs. Addison Trail this upcoming week.
Freshman The Hornets started the week with a strong conference win against Morton High School. The defense was paced by a strong pitching performance from Max Nicholas. Max struck out 13 Morton hitters before turning the ball over to Leo McClellan who closed out the game strong.
The week closed with a double header against cross conference foes Oak Park River Forest. The Hornets struggled to score runs all day as the OPRF pitchers put together two solid outings. However a few Hornets put together quality at bats including Leo McClellan and Glen Hogan. The Hornets dropped the first game 13 - 3 and the second game 10 - 3.
Week of April 9th
Varsity On Wednesday (4/11) the Hornets played Willowbrook for the second game of the three game series and because of the rain it was played nine days later than it was originally scheduled. The Hornets fell behind early in the 3rd inning as Willowbrook scored twice. The Hornets scored their first run in the 6th inning on a bases loaded walk to Jack Lombardo; plating Evan Zenger who had led off the inning with a walk. Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the 7th inning the Hornets had yet to register a hit off of Willowbrook. John Colucci led off the inning with a walk. Colten Kotecki pitch ran for Colucci but was forced at second on Ryan Kuhlman’s sacrifice attempt. Evan Zenger once again worked a walk in a 7 pitch at bat. Then the moment the Hornets had been waiting for happened when; Frankie Klemm double to the base of the wall in right center scoring both Kuhlman with the tying run and Zenger with the winning run. John Colucci was stellar on the mound pitching all 7 innings and allowing only 3 hits while striking out 8. Colucci is now 4-1 on the season and the Hornets are 5-4 overall and 2-0 in the West Suburban Gold Conference.
On Thursday (4/12) the Hornets traveled to Hillside to take on West Suburban Cross-over foe Proviso West. The Hornets defeated Proviso West by a score of 11-3. Frankie Klemm picked up his second win of the season by pitching 3 innings allowing 0 earned runs and striking out 6. JR Rickert pitched a scoreless inning and struck out 2. Evan Zenger pitched the final 3 innings striking out 4 and giving up 0 earned runs. The Hornets had hits from the following guys: John Colucci, Matt Uba, and Paris Lewis (2b). Connor Maddeen went 2-2 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Evan Zenger went 4-5 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBI’s. Matt Uba had 3 RBI’s, Max Cilek, Frankie Klemm, Paris Lewis, and Ryan Kuhlman each added an RBI. The Hornets are now 6-4 overall and 2-0 in the West Suburban Gold Conference. Sophomore Hinsdale South sophomores lost to Willowbrook Wednesday despite stellar pitching performances by Logan Mcgilney and Ricky Lepic. We were only able to scratch out one hit but the kids played well. They are playing hard and I told them the wins are going to come soon.
Freshman The first game of the week was a midweek makeup game against Willowbrook High school. Tristan Shauer battled on the mound through a pitchers duel throwing 6 innings strong allowing 3 earned runs. However the Hornets’ bats were quieted by a strong performance from Willowbrook’s pitcher. Jacob Jones put together a few quality at bats at the plate.
The Freshman Hornets looked to start a winning streak as the Proviso West freshman came to our field. The Hornets coupled together good offense with sound pitching to get a win. Max Nicholas, Leo McClellan, and Jack Nick all threw well on the mound. Glen Hogan powered a double to help pace the Hornets offense as well.
Week of April 2nd
Varsity The Hornets opened the conference season on Monday (4/2) in Villa Park by defeating Gold Conference favorite Willowbrook. The Hornets struck first by plating Evan Zenger who led off the game with a crisp single to center field. That was all the Hornets would need as John Colucci picked up his third win of the season by allowing five hits and no runs; while striking out six in his complete game. The Hornets pounded out seven hits and had nine walks; winning 5-0. Evan Zenger went 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI. John Colucci, Bobby O’Donnell, Frankie Klemm, Jake Klepacz (RBI/ Triple), and Matt Uba each added a hit. The Hornets are 4-4 on the season and 1-0 in conference.
Sophomore
Freshman The Hornets finally put a tally in the win column as the conference season started with a game against Willowbrook at home. The Hornets benefited from strong pitching performances by Max Nicholas and Leo McClellan. McClellan was able to get out of a jam in the 5th inning by striking out 3 straight batters in a bases loaded 0 out situation. Offensively the Hornets were aided by a Grand Slam from Donny Lowdermilk in the 1st inning. Great at bats from Jacob Jones and Tristan Schauer also added the the Hornets run total. Finally, Tristan Schauer put on a show by stealing 6 bases in one game. The final score was 10 - 4 good guys.
Week of March 26th
Varsity The Hornets traveled all day Sunday (3/25) to Memphis Tennessee to take on Tennessee power Memphis University School on Monday March 26th. The Hornets ran into a buzz saw and were shut-out and defeated 10-0 in five innings of work. The highlight of the day would have to be that the boys visited the Civil Rights Museum earlier in the day and went to Central Barbeque for lunch. The Hornets are now 3-2.
On Tuesday the Hornets traveled to Millington Tennessee to the famous USA Stadium. The Hornets lost a tough game to Barrington by the score of 8-6. With the bases loaded and 1 out in the 7th the Hornets could not get the runners in to tie or win the ball game. The Hornets were led offensively by Evan Zenger who went 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI. Ryan Kuhlman, Jack Lombardo, Jake Klepacz and Paris Lewis each had hits. Matt Uba, Paris Lewis, Jack Lombardo, Bobby O’Donnell, Evan Zenger and Frankie Klemm each had RBI’s. Matt Uba picked up the loss in 4 innings of work. Uba gave up 6 runs on 7 hits. The Hornets record is now 3-3.
Later that day the Hornets took on Mississippi State power; Magnolia Heights. The Hornets got another solid pitching performance from John Colucci who went 6 innings allowing just 3 earned runs while striking out 6. The game was tied at 3 going into the 5th inning but Magnolia Heights scored a run in each of their last 3 innings. The Hornets lost another very good baseball game by the score of 6-3. The Hornets were led offensively by Jake Klepacz who went 2-3 with a run scored. Bobby O’Donnell who went 1-3 with an RBI double and a run scored. Ryan Kuhlman had 2 RBI’s and Jack Lombardo added a hit. The Hornets record is now 3-4. Freshman The Hornets started a tournament at Plainfield South over Spring Break with a game against Lemont High school. The Hornets scored in the first inning but quickly fell behind. Solid offensive performances from Derek Potts and Jack Nick helped the Hornets make a slight comeback but it was not enough as the Hornets fell in game one of a double header.
We dropped the second game of the double header to Plainfield North. Game 2 of the double header ended on a positive note as the Hornets bats came alive late in the game to score 4 runs in the 6th inning. Donny Lowdermilk laid down a perfect bunt to start a rally that included 4 hits from 4 different Hornets.
The Hornets dropped a tough game to Oak Forest High School on the final day of the tournament. Offensively Tristan Schauer added 1 hit, 1 steal and 1 run scored while Leo McClellan tallied 2 hits, 1 rbi and 1 run scored. Jack Nick started the game with 2 and 2/3rds solid innings pitched before being chased by a high pitch count.
Week of March 19th
Varsity The Hornets hosted non-conference foe Shepard High School at Alumni Field on Wednesday (3/21). The Hornets struck first by scoring the first run of the game in the 5th inning to take a 1-0 lead. John Colucci picked up his second win of the season in relief of Matt Uba. Uba pitched 4 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball. Uba scattered 4 hits, struck out 7 and walked no one before he was taken out at the 70 pitch count. Colucci was dominant in relief striking out 5 and allowing only 1 hit in 2 innings of work. The Hornets pounded out seven hits and had twelve walks; winning 9-1. Paris Lewis, Matt Uba, Jake Klepacz, Frankie Klemm, John Colucci, Bobby O’Donnnell and Jack Lombardo each added a hit. The Hornets are 3-0 on the young season.
On Friday the Hornets traveled to Frankfort to take on Lincoln Way Central in a very cold but well-played game by both teams. The Hornets fell behind 2-0 in the 3rd inning and gave up another run in the 4th to perennial power Lincoln Way Central. Trailing 3-0; the Hornets scored once in the sixth on an RBI double by John Colucci. The Hornets put together a rally in the 7th by loading the bases with one out but failed to come up with the tying runs. The tough luck loser was Michael McCormack who pitched well enough to win. McCormack struck out 4 and allowed only 2 hits in 3 and 2/3 innings of work. JR Rickert pitched 1 and 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball and Evan Zenger pitched 2/3 of scoreless baseball in relief. The Hornets and Lincoln Way Central were both perfect in the field with zero errors. The Hornets were led offensively by John Colucci who went 3-3 with an RBI double. Jack Lombardo added a double and Paris Lewis had a hit and reached base on a HBP. The Hornets are now 3-1 on the season. Sophomore
Freshman The Hornets looked to bounce back after suffering a week of rainouts and bad weather with a game against Lincoln Way Central High School at home. Jelani Wilson found his way around the bases twice scoring 2 runs and adding an rbi single in the 5th inning. Jayden Salvareddy also had a solid game going 2 for 2 with 1 rbi. The Hornets lost the game as high pitch counts started to hurt the pitching staff late in the game.
Week of March 12th
Varsity The Hornets opened the season on Friday (3/16) hosting Bolingbrook at Alumni Field. The Hornets struck first by playing a little small ball. Ryan Kuhlman led off the game and the season by doubling down the left field line. Frankie Klemm followed with a perfect sacrifice bunt moving Kuhlman to third. Matt Uba then had an eight pitch at bat that ended in a walk. Paris Lewis continued the small ball attack with a sharp single up the middle driving in the first run of the season. Then the small ball attack shifted to big ball. Bobby O’Donnell launched a three run homer to right center clearing the bases. That was all the Hornets would need as John Colucci picked up his first win of the season by allowing four hits and one run; while striking out three in five innings of work. The Hornets pounded out nine hits and eleven runs; winning 11-1 in five innings. Frankie Klemm went 2-3 with 2 RBI’s. John Colucci went 2-2 with an RBI. Evan Zenger and Ryan Kilrea also had hits.
On Saturday the Hornets traveled to chilly Highland Park. Frankie Klemm pitched all seven innings allowing only one run on three hits. Klemm was sparking in his varsity debut striking out seven, walking one, and picking up his first win of the season. Klemm also drove in the winning run in the top of the seventh with a two out walk. The Hornets were led offensively by Bobby O’Donnell who had a one out triple in the fourth inning driving in the game tying run. Ryan Kuhlman, Jake Klepacz, Evan Zenger, and Matt Uba each added hits to move the Hornets to 2-0 on the young season.
Sophomore In the First game vs. Highland Park Logan McGinley threw 4 solid innings and got the win and Nathan Pomey got the save in a 6-2 victory. Benjamin Metzger also played a stellar shortstop and added 3 hits. In the Second game everyone contributed and it was a good team win 7 to 1.
Freshman The Freshman Hornets started the season on Friday March 16th with a matchup against Bolingbrook high school on a cold and windy day. Max Nicholas started the game on the mound and had 2 solid innings of work before being chased from the game due to a high pitch count. Errors cost the Hornets as they dropped the game 2 - 8. Jack Nick was great in the closing innings, throwing 2 scoreless innings and striking out 3. Lucas Kozak and Bradley Reinhardt connected late in the 6th inning to help the Hornets score their first run of the season.
The Hornets made the trip up north to Highland Park High School on March 17th for a double header in the cold weather. In game one of the double header Tristan Schauer spearheaded the attack on the mound by throwing 6 quality innings with 1 earned run. Due to poor defense however, the Hornets were trailing 8 - 10 in the top of the 7th, but a string of walks and a big hit from Jelani Wilson pushed the Hornets ahead by 1 going to the bottom of the 7th. Unfortunately, the Hornets were not able to hold off the Giants offense as they pushed across two runs to win on a walk off double, winning 11 – 10.
Game two ended with a final score of 7 – 17 in favor of the Highland Park Giants. The Hornets showed some offensive power by scoring 5 in the first inning, but could not slow down the red hot Giants hitters. The Hornets look to bounce back on Wednesday against Shepard High School.