By Miles Toogo-Photos by Renee Kaspar
**Additional Photos are Available at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p218153362 **
WHEATON─ Watching the 12U Illinois-Lisle Wolves go through their pregame workouts, you see a group of players enjoying what they’re doing.
Sure, it’s just warming up prior to their game in their practice attire, but you see the camaraderie that’s developed between teammates who for several, hadn’t played together prior to this season.
The other noticeable feature for this team is the beaming confidence they project.
As one parent put it, “They now expect to Win.”
Big difference between a team hoping to win and one expecting to win.
Several times this year the 12U Wolves have fallen behind early.
Theres no panic, no pressure to score and change the deficit. They just continue to do what they do, swing the bats, field the balls and pitch.
Eventually, the outcome is inevitable for the most part and chances are they’ll notch another one in the win column.
The Wolves are now beyond the hoping stage and it’s quite obvious!
With several players missing, the Wolves would have just the required nine players in this game.
Riding a streak of twelve games without a loss, the Wolves traveled to Wheaton’s Atten Park on May 1 looking to win their 14th game against the Wheaton Warriors.
Behind three hits, including a double by Graham Johnson and singles by Eamon Muldoon and Christian Slazak, the visiting Wolves jumped ahead 1-0 in their first at-bats.
On the mound, Michael Petrbok put down the first three Warriors in order with some help from his defense. Petrbok would go on to work three innings allowing just three hits and one run while facing 14 batters.
The Wolves extended their lead in inning three, adding another run via a sacrifice fly by Johnson, scoring Petrbok. Petrbok reached base after being struck by a pitch and advanced around the bases on a stolen base and a wild pitch.
The Warriors cut the Wolves lead in half, scoring their only run on Petrbok in their half of the third inning.
Threatening in the fourth, the Wolves loaded the bases with just one out as Warrior errors and a hit-by-pitch saw the bases full. Unfortunately, a strike out looking and a fly out to right snuffed the opportunity.
Brian Grogan relieved Petrbok on the mound. He was called on to work a three-inning stint as well.
It was an unpropitious beginning. He walked the first batter he faced then gave up a double.
He coaxed the third batter into a comebacker with runners at second and third. That led to a run-down at third which ended with Grogan applying the tag for the first out.
A wild pitch did score a run by the Warriors followed by another walk, but Grogan settled down to strike out the next two batters to close out the fourth inning.
“My Fastball wasn’t as good as it was Saturday,” said Grogan. “My set-up was throwing a lot of strikes today because I couldn’t locate my fastball too well today. They had a lot of dinky hits compared to us.”
The Wolves saw their bats come to life in their fifth inning. Sending eight batters to the plate and scoring four runs on four hits.
Johnson started the inning with his second double of the game. A walk to Christian Slazak was followed by a pair of singles by Quinn Robinson and Grogan that each scored a run.
Johnny Burke also singled, which again loaded the bases.
For most of the young season, Burke has consistently put the ball in play. He makes contact nearly every plate appearance, but in his case, the ball hasn’t found the openings enough.
“Last year I had a lot of things going through my head, now every time up, I just think about hitting that ball,” said Burke. “I’m keeping my head clear and thinking of driving the ball. I’m having a great time, I’m loving it, I got a lot of my guys on this team and the guys I met this year are great and we are winning a lot. I love it.”
Burke is a versatile player pitching, playing infield but he has stated he prefers playing centerfield. “I really like running down fly balls making the catch.”
A fielder’s choice by Auggie Ruffolo and a Sac-Fly by Gavin Smith added two more runs for a 6-2 lead.
The Warriors got things going against Grogan to start their fifth at-bats. A double and two singles kick-started them, scoring two runs and staying close at 6-4.
A Grogan strikeout, a grounder to Smith and another stellar defensive snag of a liner to his right by Johnson, ended the fifth inning.
A 5-run sixth inning catapulted the Wolves to a comfortable 11-4 lead.
Sending 11 batters to the plate, the Wolves saw doubles by Petrbok and Grogan and another single by Burke added to the hit total. Errors and hit batsmen also extended the inning and gave the Wolves several scoring opportunities they took advantage of.
As it turned out, the extra runs would be needed in the end.
The Warriors threatened in the sixth with two leadoff singles, but defense again stopped the threat. A liner to Johnson to his left and a quick toss to Muldoon for the double play, finished the sixth inning.
The Wolves went quietly in their last at-bat after Robinson singled.
In contrast, the Warriors didn’t go quietly, being down 7-runs.
Whether complacency by the Wolves or just the ball finding holes, the Warriors kept sending batters to the plate and runs were piling up. They closed to within 11-9 after a five-run burst until Robinson finally struck out the Warrior batter for the final out.
”I thought we didn’t close out the game and we felt the game was over and let up and they came back because of it,” said Muldoon.
The Wolves did get their 14th win in 17-games, but it wasn’t pretty.
“I think we are hitting really well. Our pitching has been our best thing this year, with pitchers throwing three innings almost every time out,” said Grogan.
Giving his all behind the plate and at bat was shorter-haired Ruffolo.
“Yesterday, Coach Brandin told me to try a new stance for blocking, I’ve been working on that,” said Ruffolo. “What’s really hard is when I’m set in a particular area in my stance and there’s a wild pitch, it’s hard to get to them. I need to work on a few little things.”
Asked about his hitting, Ruffolo said, “I like hitting to all fields, I’ve always been like that.”
Eamon Muldoon has been exactly what is expected of a leadoff hitter. He gets on base often and sets up his teammates and has shown himself to be a quality infielder.
“I like leading off, you get to start the rally and get things going. I feel I’m really good at getting on base and scoring runs for the team. Getting lessons from coach Brandin has really helped, I feel he knows my style of play so that’s helped me a lot. I hadn’t played outfield in a while; I did in my previous years but I misplayed a ball out there, not happy about that.”
A win is a Win!