By Miles Toogo- Photos by Renee Kaspar
** Additional Photos Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p296719921 **
Downers Grove─The previous night’s shutout victory over Illinois’ second-ranked 12U Hamlin Park team had the Illinois-Lisle 12U Wolves riding high.
They had just dispatched a quality opponent while also playing near perfect defense.
It was apparent the Wolves knew they had to be at their best and played it throughout the game earning a high-quality shutout win on the road.
Fast forward 24 hours later.
Visiting Downers Grove on May 16 to take on the Longshots back in WSBL play, the Wolves were a confident bunch. They went through their warm-up routine displaying the confidence that comes with winning.
Unfortunately, what sometimes happens to teams that find success frequently, over-confidence and complacency make an appearance.
That was the case in this game.
The Wolves would melt down and lose 5-4 to the inferior Longshots in a disastrous bottom of the seventh inning, committing three errors and allowing three runs to score after grabbing the first two outs.
The Wolves began auspiciously when Eamon Muldoon took a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence for his first homer of the year to lead off the game and give the Wolves an immediate 1-0 lead.
A walk to Graham Johnson and a single by Christian Slazak continued the opening inning but neither advance on an unusual interference double-play call by the umpire.
Tyler Sokolnicki took to the mound and proceeded to close out the first inning allowing no runs and striking out two.
The Wolves padded the lead in their next at-bats. Singles by Griff Sinkovich and Brian Grogan saw them later score on a walk with the bases loaded to Sokolnicki and a sac-fly by Auggie Ruffolo, for a 3-0 lead.
Two hits in the Longshots second inning saw them plate a run to cut into the Wolves lead at 3-1.
Over the next four innings, the Wolves were only able to get a lone single in 16 plate appearances.
The host pitchers weren’t over-powering, to the contrary, the Wolves hitters were simply making poor swings on pitches, taking too many strikes or whiffing in key spots with runners on base.
The clutch hitting had abandoned them as they appeared to be playing to the level of the competition.
Sokolnicki continued his pitching strength striking out the side in his third stint on the mound followed by two scoreless innings by Slazak to maintain the wolves lead at 3-1 after five innings.
The Longshots sixth inning saw them inch closer to the Wolves lead after scoring a run, making the game score 3-2.
Holding on to a surprising one-run lead, the Wolves had struggled all game to string hits together entering their final at-bat.
Grabbing his second hit of the game, Sinkovich started the seventh inning. After two fly outs to right field, Sokolnicki singled again, followed by a walk to Ruffolo that loaded the bases.
Gavin Smith next singled to drive in the Wolves fourth run and keep the bases loaded.
Unfortunately, they remained that way after a pop-out to second base ended their at-bats with a 4-2 lead.
A comebacker to Sinkovich now on the mound for the Wolves and a fly-out to right field retired the first two Longshots.
What proceeded next was an error, a single, a walk and a fielding and throwing error that saw what looked like a game in hand turn into a 5-4 stunning loss for the Wolves.
The realization of a win turned into a loss seemed confusing to the Wolves players as they looked surprised still on the field while the Longshots celebrated the win in left field.
Others giving their all in the game include Michael Petrbok, Quinn Robinson and Johnny Burke.
The opportunity to right a wrong in baseball is often just a day away and that will be the case for these Wolves.
