Thursday, October 11, 2012

Team Bain won the deciding game of the best-of-three baseball Fall World Series over Team Wormington on Thursday afternoon, winning in convincing fashion 9-3 at Emory G. Bauer Field.

Team Wormington took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning.  After a walk and an error to start the game, junior Karch Kowalczyk (Peru, Ill./La Salle-Peru) singled home a run, followed by an RBI groundout by Andrew Bynum (Huntington Beach, Calif./Ocean View).  However, Team Bain knotted the score at 2-2 in the top of the second against starter Bryce Yoder (Spencerville, Ind./Eastside).  Spencer Mahoney (LaGrange, Park, Ill./Lyons Township) led off the inning with a triple to right-center, scored on a single by Elliott Martin (Irvine, Calif./University) who eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk to sophomore Zack Walsh (Batesville, Ind./Batesville).

After Kennedy pitched a 1-2-3 second inning, Team Bain came to the plate and added two more runs to take a 4-2 lead. Sophomore Michael Morman (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) doubled off the centerfield wall, Mahoney drove him home with his second triple of the day and Martin added another RBI to his total with a sacrifice fly.

Mahoney and Tanner Vavra (Menomonie, Wis./Menomonie) each had two hits for Team Bain, including two triples, two RBIs and two runs scored for the Fall World Series MVP Mahoney. Junior Sean Kennedy (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) started for Team Bain and earned the win pitching a solid three innings, giving up just one earned run on one hit while striking out a pair. The bullpen comprised of freshmen Drew Hasler (South Bend, Ind./Mishawaka Marian) and Dalton Lundeen (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood) and sophomores Ryan Kennedy (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) and Ben Mahar (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) pitched the last four innings, allowing only one hit and one unearned run.

In a losing effort, Team Wormington was led by Billy Cribbs (Rochester, Mich./Rochester) and Kowalczyk, who each had a hit on the day.

The Crusaders have now concluded their fall season and will set their sights on preparing for the 2013 campaign.  The season starts on Friday, Feb. 15, in Nashville, Tenn. when they start a three-game series at Belmont.