By Drake Skleba
For the Bugle
In a must-win Southwest Prairie Conference game on Monday, Plainfield South (23-6, 11-4) scored six runs in the third inning and held off their arch rivals from Plainfield North, 7-4. With the win, the Cougars pull within ½ game of Plainfield North (15-8, 11-3) in the final week of SPC play.
On the mound for North was their ace right-hander Dylan Szajkovics (5-1). On the mound for the hosts from Plainfield South, was their ace right-hander Griffin Lapp (5-1). The duo produced nothing but goose eggs on the South scoreboard, as the game moved to the bottom of the third.
Cougar DH Alex Lekovish worked the “dreaded leadoff walk” to leadoff the Cougar third inning. No. 9 Cougar hitter Dylan Miller laid down a perfect sac-bunt to move Lekovish into scoring position. Leadoff man Justin McGuigan ripped a single moving Lekovish to third.
Lapp helped himself with an RBI single to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. Cougar second baseman Connor Blake followed with a booming RBI double, and after Zach Pawlak walked, Plainfield South super-sophomore Tyler “Puma “Phommachanhom (2-for-2, RBI, R, SB) singled home McGuigan for a 3-0 lead.
The Cougars picked up a fourth run on a wild pitch and then Cougar right fielder Tony Mosher highlighted the six-run Cougar outburst with a two run single.
“Solid win for us today,” Mosher said. “We really needed it. I swung and missed on the first pitch trying to hit it out of here. I hit the second pitch for the big two-run single in the third.”
The defending IHSA Class 4A State Champions Tigers quickly responded. In the top of the fourth, Tiger left fielder Eben Heine drove home a Tiger run with an RBI double. The Tigers picked up a run to pull within 6-2 before Tiger first-baseman Aiden Campbell’s clutch two-out two RBI single pulled the defending state champs to within 6-4. Lapp got out of the jam with a huge strikeout to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Tiger catcher Greg Budig reached on a Cougar error and Cook ripped his second hit of the day and the Tigers were in business.
Lapp induced the hard-hitting Tiger right fielder Cam Kissel to hit a roller to Phommachanhom at short, who turned the 6-3 twin-killing. Heine flied to Miller in center to end the Tiger threat in the fifth.
“North’s our big rivals and are a very good team,” Phommachanhom said. “We had to come out strong and picked up the big win today. I tried to do my job and stay within myself at the plate. One game at a time beginning with Oswego on Wednesday.”
The Tigers’ Brandon Hutson reached on a Cougar miscue in the sixth, but Lapp pitched around the miscue to end the Tiger sixth.
The Cougars Ryan Pawlak hammered an insurance blast over the right field fence for a 7-4 Cougar lead. The blast was the second home run of the season for the Cougar first baseman.
“It was nice to get the insurance run for us in the sixth with the home run,” Pawlak said. “I got a fastball and took it out over the right field fence. Win out.”
Lapp mowed down the Tigers 1-2-3 in the seventh, to pull the Cougars within ½ game of the Tigers in the ultra-tough SPC.
“I relaxed a little with the six-run lead but after allowing the four runs, I was able to shut them down,” Lapp said. “I’m never worried on the mound. It was a great win. We want to keep hitting the ball and continue doing what we are doing. If we do, we can win the SPC.”
For Plainfield North, the Tigers will travel to Oswego East (16-11, 8-7) on Tuesday before taking on Plainfield East (19-10, 9-7) on Wednesday at East and home on Thursday.
“We didn’t pitch well. We didn’t hit well,” Plainfield North head coach John Darlington said. “When that happens, we’re not going to win many ball games. We have a lot of baseball to be played this week. We must play well to win the SPC.”
For Plainfield South, the Cougars will host Oswego (17-11, 10-6) on Wednesday and then travel to Oswego on Thursday.
Act Two- “Plainfield Civil War” Friday on the “North Side” at 4:30.
“It was a must win for us today,” Plainfield South head coach Phil Bodine said. “These huge pressure-packed games this week are great for the kids. We’ll play them one at a time and if we can win the SPC, that would be great. Even if we are not able to win the SPC, the games this week will get us in the proper mind-set to win the regional, next week.
“That’s the first time Griffin has been touched up this year. With the 6-0 lead he relaxed and wasn’t the same pitcher as he was in the first three innings and the last three innings of the game. Today should be a great learning experience for Griffin.”
“Tony had a big hit for us today,” Bodine said. “Ryan needed that homer today because he had been struggling lately and Connor Blake had a big RBI double. If we can get those three hitting, we can do a lot of damage. One game a time. Oswego on Wednesday.”
“One game at a time and Good Lord willing, we will get where we want to be,” Plainfield South associate coach Dan Fezzuoglio said.
SOUTHWEST PRAIRIE CONFERENCE STANDINGS
Through Games of May 13
Plainfield North 15-8 11-3
Plainfield South 23-6 11-4
Plainfield Central 22-9 10-6
Oswego 17-11 10-6
Plainfield East 19-10 9-7
Oswego East 16-10 8-7
Joliet West 16-16 7-9
Romeoville 10-19 6-10
Minooka 8-17 4-12
Joliet Central 9-20 2-14