By Bobby Narang- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
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FRANKLIN, Wis. – The 13U Illinois Wolves went big-game hunting on Saturday in Wisconsin.
The Wolves faced two of the top teams in Wisconsin on Saturday, opening a two-day tournament at The Rock Complex with a dominating 8-3 triumph over Prospects.
With the win, the Wolves had to wait several hours before facing off against highly ranked Whitefish Bay. Just like Prospects, the blue-clad Whitefish Bay team defeated the Wolves last season.
Now, after getting a signature first-game win on Saturday, the Wolves were hungry were more – and that meant bad news for the Wisconsin-based team.
The Wolves rode a sterling complete-game effort from star right-hander Christian Slazak and tacked on three runs in the top of the sixth inning to record a 4-1 win in a game shortened to six innings because of the time rule.
At 10:46 p.m., on a cold and winter-like night, the Wolves completed their sweep of Wisconsin teams to earn the top seed on Sunday. The coaches, players and parents and other family members of the Wolves celebrated with fun, dancing and happiness over the two big wins.
Standing just outside the fence, on the first-base side, Illinois Wolves coach Brandin Muniz, with the Bluetooth speaker cranking music, brought his team together for a short talk. As the players gathered, Muniz pumped up his players with a short but spirited talk, letting them know how strong they played against two talented teams under some tough weather conditions.
A tall and lanky but strong player, Slazak flashed his two-way immense potential with a prolific effort in the circle. He tossed a six-inning complete game, fanning 10 batters, allowing one hit and throwing 53 strikes among his 83 pitches.
Slazak, who bats cleanup for the Wolves, drilled an RBI double with a bomb shot to left-field that extended the lead to 3-1 in the sixth.
“My fastball was working, but my curveball was really work,” Slazak said. “They were chasing my curveball. It was great to get a big hit. I only had one hit this tournament, so that hit felt good. I’m glad we got the number one seed. Both of these teams beat us, so it felt good and we got our revenge.”
Fred Sackley had another game to remember, with a walk and a line-drive triple down the right-field line that kickstarted the key three-run sixth inning.
“I was angry from a mistake in the field and saw the ball and hit it,” Sackley said. “It felt great off the bat. I just ran as hard as I could to get to third base. That’s my best hit of the season. We beat two really great teams. They both played well, but we just played better. Christian and Matthew pitched amazing today. They both should be the MVPs today.”
Michael Petrbok followed with a run-scoring groundout, then Slazak came up with his big hit and Graham Johnson delivered a hit that sent the Wolves’ fans in a frenzy. Johnson blasted a triple to deep centerfield to push the lead to 4-1.
“I saw the first-pitch ball against their new pitcher and got a good look at it,” Johnson said. “My last at-bat I wasn’t feeling it. I shortened my stance and that really helped. I just threw my hands (forward) and got a good fastball. We got back at the two teams we lost to last year and our pitching was great.”
The Wolves opened up the scoring in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI double by Matthew Wiskowski. After tossing a complete game in the opener on Saturday, Wiskowski had more left to show on Saturday late at night. After both teams failed to produce much offense in the first three innings, Wiskowski’s two-out RBI double helped ease some of the tension for a 1-0 lead.
Still, one of the best plays of the game occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning. Whitefish Bay tied the game up at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth, helped by an error that came around to score on a groundout.
Whitefish Bay threatened to take a lead in the bottom of the fifth, but Illinois Wolves’ left-fielder Jackson Martin made the defensive play of the game. Martin scooped up a single to left field and threw a strike to third base to get the runner out to end the threat.
All in all, the three-run victory was a mixture of solid pitching, timely hitting and great defense.
“Our pitching is carrying our team now,” Muniz said. “It’s very deep and we’re playing the type of baseball we’ve showed them to play. Our kids are also very clutch. We can go longer in the game and know our guys will come through, just one through 12. I came mix and match pieces, and to only use two pitchers is amazing. We still have a lot of pitching left to use.”
