(Sugar Grove, IL) – Waubonsee Community College came out on the short end in both games of their non-conference doubleheader against Sauk Valley Community College on Thursday afternoon. The visiting Skyhawks rallied in game one to down the Chiefs 7-5 before holding on for a 4-3 win in game two to complete the sweep.
Waubonsee (11-13) jumped ahead 3-0 in the first inning of game one courtesy of a walk, an infield hit and three defensive miscues by the Skyhawks (12-12). The Chiefs scored another run in the second frame when Aidan Sheehan walked and stole second base. He alertly scored moments later when Noe Marrero laid down a bunt and collided with Sauk Valley's Emmanuel Alejandro covering first base. Meanwhile, Chiefs starting pitcher Nate Ross did not allow a hit until the Skyhawks' Hudson Deal led off the top of the fourth with a double off the center field fence 400 feet away. One batter later Deal scored on a throwing error by Waubonsee to make it 4-1. The Chiefs got that run back almost immediately in bottom half of the inning. Chase Gabel launched the second offering by Sauk Valley right-hander Brady Richards well beyond the left field fence for a towering solo home run.
Sauk Valley answered back in the top of the fifth in a big way. After managing just one hit through the first four innings, the Skyhawks' bats came to life scoring five times. A two-run triple to straight away center field by Bryce Rosenow, and a run scoring double to the left center field gap by Hudson Deal highlighted the offensive eruption and knocked Ross out of the game. Sauk Valley then scored the go ahead run on a Chiefs' error to take a 6-5 lead. In the bottom of the fifth the Skyhawks made three consecutive stellar defensive plays to keep the Chiefs off the scoreboard, capped off by a diving over the shoulder grab in shallow left field by Deal for the third out. Sauk Valley threatened again in the sixth, but Voelker induced a pop out to strand runners at second and third. Waubonsee also threatened in their half of the sixth getting two runners on base, but Skyhawks' reliever Cesar Munoz got out of the jam with a groundout to shortstop.
Sauk Valley started the seventh with three straight singles to tally an insurance run to make the score 7-5. A.J. Folk came on in relief for the Chiefs with runners at second and third with no outs and escaped with no additional damage. The left hander got a strikeout, a check swing tap in front of the plate for an unassisted put out by the catcher, and a pop out behind second base. Joel Johnson then led off the bottom of the seventh with a rare broken bat, line drive single to center, as the barrel of his metal bat landed just in front of the mound. However, Waubonsee's Trey Hernandez bounced into a double play and Munoz fired a strikeout for the final out.
In game two Sauk Valley jumped on Chiefs' starter Josh Quezada scoring four runs in the first inning and chasing him from the game. Waubonsee cut the deficit to three in the bottom half of the first when Gabel lofted a sacrifice fly to deep center field to score Johnson who had been hit by a pitch to start the inning. Trailing 4-1 the Chiefs loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the second on a walk and two hit batsmen. However, Skyhawks starting pitcher Austin Mattingly wiggled out of the jam with a strikeout, force out at home and a line out to center field. Waubonsee loaded the bases again the following inning on three straight two-out singles. But once more Mattingly escaped unscathed inducing a pop out as the Chiefs' stranded seven runners in the first three innings.
Waubonsee finally broke through in the fifth when Jonny Marquez drilled a one-out double to center field. Eric Gonzalez pinch ran for Marquez and scored when Sheehan grounded a single up the middle to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Chiefs got to within a run when they pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth. Donavan Zielke laced a pinch-hit single up the middle and was awarded third an out later when a Sauk Valley throw sailed out of play. Camden Pick pinch ran for Zielke and scored a moment later on a sacrifice fly out to right field by Hernandez to make it a 4-3 game. As darkness descended upon the field in the bottom of the seventh, Skyhawks' reliever Zach Diver set the Chiefs down in order for the first time all day. For the game Waubonsee stranded nine runners, including five in scoring position. Chiefs' reliever Jordan Lyons kept Waubonsee in the game by tossing six shutout innings allowing only four singles, while striking out six.
Waubonsee is on the road for four straight twin bills over the next week before returning home on Saturday, April 20, to host Oakton Community College in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference doubleheader starting at noon.