By Bobby Narang- Photos by Jenn-Anne Gledhill
** Additional Photos are available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p940514008 **
WEST CHICAGO – Motivation can come in many forms, especially in sports.
The 13U Illinois Wolves kept getting jolts of motivation throughout Thursday’s night game.
But nothing seemed to be working.
Illinois Wolves coach Brandin Muniz kept imploring his players to step up and seize the moment during keys moments early in the game. Assistant coach Grant Johnson got involved in the action, pushing several players to take their games up a notch.
Suddenly, on an unusually cold and windy night, the Wolves started to slowly get energized in the top of the sixth inning.
An Illinois Wolves’ parent took several steps away from the bleachers, making a beeline toward the back of the dugout fence, yelling for the Wolves to get into the game and erase a one-run deficit. He yelled for “everyone to be up and get on the (front) fence).”
At the time, it was an ideal time to jolt the Wolves out of their five-plus inning doldrums, especially with their second, third and cleanup hitters set to come to the plate.
The motivational tactic worked to a charm, reinvigorating the talented Wolves and helping wake them up from a five-inning slumber.
The Wolves tied the game in the sixth inning, added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning to record an impressive 4-2 victory over Impact Navy on April 24 evening.
The Wolves remained with just one loss on the season thanks to the late-game comeback, timely hitting, excellent bunting in the seventh inning and stellar pitching by Graham Johnson and Brady Madden in relief of starter Christian Slazak.
“I was disappointed in how we started, but glad how we finished,” Muniz said, the architect behind the Wolves’ strong start. “We showed a side we haven’t shown or had to do against many teams. I don’t think we should’ve had to do that, but I think we did exactly what we needed to do. We told the boys that before the bottom of the seventh that Brady (Madden) was going to close it and Payton (Swartzendruber) is our fastest guy and we need him on first base and we’re going to play small ball and shut them down in the end.
“The boys were excited about that and followed through with what we set out to do. I’m happy we got the “W”. A win is a win. It wasn’t a warm night, so I’ll take what I can get on a night like this.”
A night like this was a good way to close out Muniz’s words, for it was a strange night. After temperatures soared into the high 70s in the afternoon, the West Chicago field turned into a bad place for several underdressed fans to be at for the 7:45 p.m. first-pitch game. Several fans were not prepared for the sudden dip in temperatures, nearly mirroring the Wolves’ slow and cold start.
Slazak, a right-hander, opened the game with three innings on the mound, allowing two hits and throwing 28 strikes in 42 pitches. The Wolves fell into a 2-0 hole after three innings but went to work getting back in the game in the top of the fourth.
Down 2-0, the Wolves sliced the deficit in half with Madden’s bouncer up the middle to plate to a run. Swartzendruber missed a chance to add to the lead to end the inning, but the RBI single woke up the Wolves’ offense.
Johnson helped stop the host team’s offense, coming in relief in the fourth inning. Johnson mowed down the home team with a blistering fastball, not allowing a run and giving up just hit, striking out five and walking one in three innings of work.
Johnson, wearing his customary thigh-long baseball pants to display his leg strength, was excellent on the mound, showing a toughness and attitude that eventually spilled over to his teammates.
“In the warmups, I just tried to find my curveball, but I found it during the game,” Johnson said. “Although, I didn’t throw it that much, I think it threw the batter’s off for my fastball. Brady did a great job in relief and was throwing gas.”
The road game was played on an all-turf field with no infield separate portion, along with big dimensions in all three parts of the outfield. The strong wind blowing in batted down a couple of hard-hit balls by the Wolves.
The Wolves had two chances early in the game, on back-to-back innings via loading the bases, but came up scoreless in their first three innings.
In the sixth, after the motivational ploy by a parent, the Wolves’ offense tied the game on Johnson’s tomahawk-like RBI single that went under the third baseman’s glove to tie the game at 2-2. Jackson Martin set up the run by getting on base via an error, then Slazak walked.
In the seventh, after Johnson pitched a solid final inning of relief to keep the score tied at 2-2, Madden opened up the game-changing frame by showing a good eye at the plate and taking a walk.
“I knew my team’s confidence was boosted by the walk, and knew we were going to win after that,” Madden said.
Griff Sinkovich kept the rally going with an RBI single on a hard-hit grounder up the middle to centerfield, plating pinch-runner Payton Swartzendruber for a 3-2 lead.
Sinkovich, all smiles, joked about his approach at the plate before his game-winning hit.
“I was just thinking don’t strike out,” Sinkovich said. “I wanted to put the ball in play and not strike out. I’ve had a few rough at-bats for me these past few games, so I thought that hit really opened up things for me and gave me some confidence. It felt really good. I don’t like playing turf like this because it’s so much faster.”
One batter later, Johnny Burke added a bunt single that Sinkovich scored on a via a highlight-reel slide at home plate, sneaking in his right hand on the far part of the plate for a 4-2 lead.
“I was just trying to score on the bunt and trying to get home, but I knew I had to slide quickly and just dove as fast as I could,” Sinkovich said. “I felt pretty good after that. I think it will help me go into our next game with more confidence.”
Meanwhile, Burke’s bunt down the third-base line provided the Wolves with an extra cushion, though Madden wouldn’t need any more runs.
“I looked at coach and he gave me the punt sign, so I knew what I had to do,” Burke said. “I laid down the bunt and just tried run hard going into first base. I heard all the cheering from the fans. We started the game completely flat. We have to be locked in from the start. It was tough to play on this field. I didn’t like it. It was windy and hard to tell where the ball was in the field.”
Madden, a right-hander, was on fire in the seventh inning. His steely determination, coupled with a few extra miles on his fastball because of the wind and his adrenaline, proved to be an unhittable combination for the home team. Madden struck out the side in the seventh to pick up the save in one inning of work.
Although he was on the mound for just a few minutes, Madden had a strong and focused look in the circle. He struck out the final batter looking.
“I was just pumping gas on the mound and I felt like they couldn’t touch me,” Madden said. “This was a great win.”
