By Miles Toogo- Photos by Renee Kaspar
** Additional Photos are Available for Purchase at https://justallsports.zenfolio.com/p442278653 **
When the 13U Illinois Wolves set up their schedule of games for the 2025 season, league play was important. If anything, it was an opportunity to keep playing week night games and staying active for weekend tournaments.
Last season, the Wolves played in the West Suburban Baseball League and the MSBL. They again have participated in league play this season. The WSBL only provides sixteen games over the Spring and Summer Season.
Wanting to play more games to fill in weekdays and stay active, Coach Brandin Muniz entered the Wolves into the Greater Chicagoland Baseball League, a break off league of the MSBL.
The familiarity of the WSBL and its teams, Muniz knew what to expect but the GCBL was a total unknown.
“I have no clue who the teams are or what teams they have played, I know nothing about the other six teams in AAA of the league,” said Muniz. “We will just play whom ever is on our schedule.
Most games are a back-to-back at each teams home field. After taking on the Schaumburg Flyers on April 21 in Schaumburg and shutting them out in Run Rule fashion (a predetermined amount of run difference), 12-0, the Wolves are 3-0 in the GCBL and have won by Run Rule in each game.
“The game went as I expected. We have enough talent that even with just nine players, we stand a good chance of being on top at the end, as expected,” said Muniz
Missing three players and with only nine players available, the Wolves wasted no time in their first at-bats.
Fred Sackley kick started the Wolves by singling. Sackley would go on to have three hits in four appearances including a double with two runs scored.
Additional hits by Christian Slazak and Matthew Wiskowski scored two runs each as the Wolves posted four runs to open the game.
On the mound, Jackson Martin got the nod and was relieved by Brady Madden. Each worked two innings, and each gave up just one hit and no runs.
Martin was working in and out and started his stint with a strikeout. He faced eight batters in total, giving up a solo single and a walk.
“I felt pretty good on the mound, but I was missing high though,” said Martin. “The mound was pretty flat, and I was just coming off it being so flat. I just started throwing more curves because it was working, my fastball was just missing high. I was fine, it was just a big divot as I landed.”
“Since we just played a bunch of games, we’re seeing the ball well and hitting it all over. That kid wasn’t throwing too hard, so we were standing at the front of the box and just adjusting on the pitch, we’re all seeing the ball pretty well. We probably just need to clean up the errors otherwise, I think we are doing everything else pretty good.”
Martin wasn’t the only one complaining about the mound. Followed by Madden, he too wasn’t happy dealing with a problem mound.
“Yes there was an issue for me, there was a massive hole in the mound,” said Madden.
“Whenever I would plant, I would just spike the ball, every time. That hole just messed me there, I was really annoyed because of it, and I’d keep landing in it. I just problem solved and did what I could. I’d give myself a “C” on how I did tonight.”
Madden also spoke of what keeps the Wolves playing at a high level.
“Our team energy stays at a high level and our bats, I mean we’re just smacking the ball and hitting it everywhere. We have a great lineup with everyone contributing not just one guy carrying us.”
The mound may have been a nuisance but as it turned out, it didn’t affect the outcome as each Wolves pitcher still only gave up a solo hit.
While the Wolves aces on the mound were limiting the Flyers batters, the Wolves added to their game tally in their next at-bat.
As it’s been throughout the season, free passes turn into runs for these opportunistic Canines. That trend continued. Auggie Ruffolo coaxed a walk and a later scored on Sackley’s double. Four runs again crossed the plate and upped the Wolves lead to 8-0 after two innings.
The 5-hit inning saw a pair of doubles (Sackley and Wiskowski) and singles by Martin, Slazak and Madden, drive in the four runs.
The Wolves continued to add to their lead, plating three more runs in inning three. Hits by Slazak (2B), and singles by Martin and Wiskowski along with free passes and an error by the host, produced three more runs and an 11-0 Wolves advantage.
With a comfortable lead, defense kept the Flyers scoreless. Madden struck out two of the three batters in the inning with Ruffolo snagging an out in between with a perfect throw to second on a steal attempt by the Flyers. Griff Sinkovich applied the tag for the easy out call.
The Wolves added a twelfth run in their final at-bats. Sinkovich singled, stole second base and advanced to third on the errant throw by the Flyers catcher. From there, a Ruffolo grounder to third scored Sinkovich which put the game in the Run Rule deficit, up by 12 in the fourth inning.
The Flyers did try to score after a pass by Madden found a Flyers runner at third base with two outs but a quick Ruffolo behind the plate, found the wild pitch and was waiting for the Flyers runner to run into his tag to end the game.
Other Wolves giving their all in the game included Payton Swartzendruber who also scored a run in the shutout victory.
The 12-0 Run Rule win saw the Wolves improve to 3-0 but before leaving the field, they were informed they would add another game to the win column as the Flyers would forfeit the next day game, increasing the GCBL standing for the Wolves to 4-0, 17-1 on the season.
The Wolves continue their onslaught of opponents on April 24 visiting Impact Navy back in WSBL play.
