By Drake Skleba
For the Bugle
Last week the Lockport Porters were Voyager Media Publications Week One Area Baseball Team of the Week. The Porters opened up their 2019 campaign with six consecutive wins.
In their first game after being named Team of the Week, they were throttled by Lincoln-Way West 8-4, on March 25.
After the defeat to the Warriors, the Porters rebounded robustly.
At Route 66 Stadium the following day behind pitchers John and Nolan Weis, closer Jake Kampf and hard-hitting left fielder Jack Mladic, the Porters blanked Lyons Township 3-0. The game was a first round-game in the ninth annual Steven M. Bajenski Memorial Tournament.
With the win, the Porters will have a May 16 quarterfinal battle with currently undefeated St. Rita (7-0). The location and time will be announced in May.
The Weis brothers and Kampf combined on a three-hit shutout. Mladic’s booming double drove home the only run the Porters would need in the second inning. On Wednesday, under-manned Thornton was annihilated 24-0 in four and a half innings in a Southwest Suburban Conference crossover game.
On Thursday, in their 14th annual WJOL Don Ladas Memorial Tournament quarterfinal tilt against Providence, senior second baseman Josh Bentley’s walk-off single gave the Porters a thrilling 9-8 victory in eight innings. Bentley’s single sent Porter Nation at Ed Flink Field dancing onto Division Street.
“It was crazy,” Bentley said. “A moment I will never forget.”
On Saturday morning, in their WJOL/Ladas Memorial semifinal, an old foe was across in the diamond in the other dugout —Lincoln-Way West.
Eventual WJOL/Ladas Tournament Most Valuable Player Collin Woulfe got the Porter’s revenge party started in the top of the first. With the bases full of Porters, Woulfe tripled and cleared the bases. After an errant Warrior throw, Woulfe danced home for a 4-0 Porter lead.
The Porters rompped past the Warriors 10-4.
“Lincoln-Way West was really trash talking at us, before the game” Lockport shortstop Ryan Moerman said. “This is so sweet to avenge Monday’s loss to them”
In the 14-year history of the WJOL/Don Ladas Memorial Tournament, only one school had ever won back-to-back WJOL/Ladas Tournament titles. In 2008 and again in 2009, the Indians, under the tutelage of their head coach Jeff Petrovic, won two consecutive WJOL/Ladas Championships.
The Porters (11-1) behind an All-Tournament pitching performance from senior Jack Vrba and 2019 WJOL/Ladas Memorial MVP, Collin Woulfe rolled past Plainfield Central, 7-1, for their second consecutive title.
And for the now, back-to-back, WJOL/Don Ladas Memorial Tournament champion Porters are a back-to-back Voyager Media Publications Team of the Week Award.
WJOL/Don Ladas Memorial All-Tournament Selections Jon and Nolan Weis and left fielder Jack Mladic were major elements in the Porters being Voyager Media Publications Week 2 Team of the Week
“It felt great to win the WJOL tournament and to win the Team of the Week again,” Nolan Weis said. “If felt great to avenge our only loss to Lincoln-Way West, in the semifinals and to beat a very good Plainfield Central team in the championship game. We hope to keep up our winning ways for the rest of the season.”
“What is great about this team is we are never out of any game,” Jon Weis said. “We are so confident that we will win. We feel we can come back from any deficit. It was great to win the WJOL for the second consecutive season.”
“All in. Like poker. We never bluff. We all do this all together,” Mladic said. “Great to win the WJOL and the Team of the Week, again.
“What I am most proud of this group, is how well received they are, by other people,” Coach Andy Satunas said. “Everywhere we go, people tell me what good kids I have here. They are polite, well-behaved, good kids. This is a real credit to the fine jobs their parents have done in raising them. As a coach we always hope to get a group like this, but I am really blessed to be able to coach this outstanding group.”