By Drake Skleba
For the Bugle
In their Steven M. Bajenski Memorial Tournament First-Round game with Lyons Township, the Porters of Lockport took to a 1-0 lead into the top of the fifth inning. Replacing his brother Jon Weis on the mound, who had blanked the Lions on two hits through the first four innings, Nolan Weis was in a jam.
Behind the plate for the Porters, replacing Porter starting junior catcher Nick Schindler, was sophomore Joe Fiorello. Replacing Jackson Mladic in left field, was the Porters starting quarterback for the football Porters this fall, junior Marcos Voulgaris.
With the tying run at third and the go-ahead run at second, Lion pinch-hitter Rohan Shah stepped into the batters box.
Shah ripped a shot in the direction of junior third baseman Jake Kampf. Kampf snared the smash off of Shah’s bat and fired a strike to Fiorella, who put the tag on LT’s Thomas Ramijas who had led off the inning by being hit by a pitch to cut down the tying run at the plate.
With Lion runners on first and second, LT’s leadoffman Matt Shuler hit a towering drive in the direction of Voulgaris in left. The ball kept pushing away from Voulgaris, who was in hot pursuit. With total disregard for a chain-link fence in his way, Voulgaris leaped into the fence falling over the fence and amazingly came down with the ball.
The entire Porter bench and the large group of Porter fans all were screaming at Marcos to throw the ball to Porter second baseman, Josh Bentley. The Lion baserunner had taken over for third and never tagged up. Voulgaris fired the ball to Bentley, who tagged second base for the 7-4 double-play to end the innin, with the 1-0 Porter lead intact.
With his face, neck and upper body bloodied by the fence, a happy Voulgaris talked with us after the game.
“I didn’t even see the fence. I was just concentrating on catching the ball,” Voulgaris said. “It felt amazing when I felt the ball go in the glove and I didn’t have any idea, at first, about the double-play. I finally realized that Josh had the double-play at second and threw him the ball.
“All football season I never got so bloodied like I did by that fence,” Voulgaris added. “Only my back was sore after football.”
The Porters picked up two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth, for a 3-0 lead.
In the top of the seventh, Weis gave up a lead-off double and Porter head coach Andy Satunas summoned Porter closer-deluxe Kampf.
Three Lion batters, three Kampf punch-outs and the Porters had an 3-0 Bajenski Memorial Tournament victory. For Kampf, it was the junior’s fourth save of 2019.
“On the play at third in the fifth, I was able to make the stop and throw the ball to Joe (Fiorella), who tagged out the tying run at the plate,” Kampf said. “My success as a closer has been due to my coaches, telling me to throw my fastball more. I believe my best pitch is my curve ball but everybody wants me to keep throwing my fastball.”
Opposing the Porters for Lyons Township was their University of Illinois-bound right hander Grant Leader. Leader has consistently thrown between 90-93 m.p.h. in his Lion career.
In the bottom of the second inning, Bentley singled off Leader, for the first Porter hit. Porter senior left fielder Jack Mladic ripped a 92 m.p.h fastball for a booming double to left, scoring Bentley for the only run for the Porters would need.
“I knew Leader threw real hard and I was looking for one of his heaters,” Mladic said. “It felt great to get all of it and drive home the game-winning run, for all of my teammates.”
Lyons Township (2-1) put the first two runners on via walks in the top of the fourth against Jon Weis (1-0). With LT runners on second and third with one out, Weis picked up a big strikeout and then get out of the jam on a fly ball to Porter centerfielder Collin Woulfe.
“A great team win today,” Jon Weis said. “I owe all of my success today to my teammates, who in between innings, were pumping me up in the dugout. Everything was working for me tonight.”
Up next for the Porters is a 5:30 p.m., 14th Annual WJOL/Don Ladas Memorial Tournament Quarterfinal with Providence Catholic at Ed Flink Field on Thursday evening.
“What a great game today!” Lockport head coach Andy Satunas said. “What was so great about the victory, was there was so many of our kids contributing to the victory. From the great defensive plays from Jake and Joe (Fiorella) and of course Marcos’ unbelievable catch, to Jon Weis’ pitching and the huge RBI double, from Jack Mladic.
“The development of Jake (Kampf), as our closer, with his tremendous velocity he brings, has been truly an amazing development. What a great Bajenski win today, as we move into the quarterfinals, of what I think is the greatest, high school baseball tournament in the nation.”
AREA BASEBALL SCOREBOARD FOR MARCH 26
Benet 5 Downers Grove North 1
Redwings improve to 5-2; Trojans fall to 0-4
Joliet Catholic 12, Naperville Central 1 Hilltoppers improve to 5-1
Plainfield East 2, Bolingbrook 1 Bengals 5-0 The Brook at 2-2
Pleasant Plains 12 Lisle 8 Back to .500 3-3 for Lions
Coal City 5 Minooka 3 Indians fall to 0-4-1
Providence 14, Romeoville 0 Spartans fall to 0-4-1