Photos by Gary Larson
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Mt Prospect— Sports are unpredictable. From the Professional level all the way to youth.
Doesn’t matter what sport, there are no guarantees. Teams are favored, teams should win, but at times, a monkey wrench is tossed into the works and the unforeseen, the unimaginable is slapping you right across the face.
As part of the Pride of the Fox Tournament on Turf, the Wolves next opponent was the Slammers from the Libertyville/Lake Forest area.
As the Top seed the 13U Illinois Wolves started the game in dominant fashion. After four innings, the Wolves were ahead 10-0 after producing 10 hits against the winless Slammers.
Pitcher Jackson Martin was cruising in his first three innings. Allowing no runs on three hits. The Wolves defense was playing well with assists also coming from the outfield while also cutting down Slammers at third on perfect relays.
The dugout, the coaches, the parents and even media there were all comfortable in the way the game was unfolding with the offense and defense the Wolves were giving, cruising to an apparent win, playing as top seeds are supposed to.
Over innings 2-,3- and 4, the Wolves explode offensively, scoring three runs in the second, five runs in the third and a pair in the fourth all on 10 hits.
Multiple players had scored more than once while also grabbing multiple hits. Among the offensive barrage were hits or runs scored by Christian Slazak, Graham Johnson, Fred Sackley, Matthew Wiskowski, Payton Swartzendruber, Griff Sinkovich, Julien Duque, Johnny Burke and Auggie Ruffolo.
After three innings, the Slammers were in dire straits with little to no hope of getting back into the game, or so we all thought. Even some of the parents of the Slammers thought the game was over as some packed up and didn’t view the game any longer.
The Wolves would go on to register just three outs over the next two innings and give up an unimaginable 11 runs to a winless, less talented team.
Needing just to hold the Slammers scoreless to end the game via the tournament Run Rule advantage after four innings, Martin took to the mound. It didn’t happen.
Even after Martin got through the fourth inning, giving up four runs on three hits, the Wolves still had a comfortable 10-4 lead, but now the Slammers were seeing pitches to their liking coming from the Wolves starter.
The Wolves still had the lead and looked to add to it in what turned out to be their final at bats in the top of the fifth inning. Unfortunately, the Wolves missed an opportunity to add to their lead, stranding men on base with one being caught at home trying to score on a short fly to right field.
Head to the bottom of the fifth inning, the unthinkable happened. Three Wolves pitchers were used in the inning, each gave up a hit or walked batters.
None were able to get an out registered as the Slammers sent eight batters to the plate, grabbed three hits, coaxed four walks and add in a Wolves error to help, they managed to overcome a 10-run deficit, scoring seven runs in their last at bat while not making a single out, for the 11-10 deflation of the mighty top seed.
The Slammers scored 11-runs over the last two innings and handed the Wolves their second loss of the season and relegated the Wolves into a consolation game for 14th place.
This was a defeat so jarring, even after it was over, you simply didn’t believe what you had just witnessed. A total breakdown by a very talented group against an inferior opponent.
The Wolves did rebound in their next day consolation game beating the Cangelosi Sparks 7-3, finishing the tournament they had such high hopes for with a 2-1 record.
The loss was difficult to understand. Every mistake the Wolves made within the two games made the difference in continuing in the winner’s side of the bracket. Runs giving up as it turned out was one too many for the Wolves.
