(Sugar Grove, IL.) – On a beautiful Tuesday afternoon under warm and mostly sunny skies Waubonsee Community College hosted Prairie State College in an Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) doubleheader. The Chiefs (7-31, 3-9) came up short in the opener as the Pioneers (23-17, 4-8) pulled out a 9-6 victory. In game two Waubonsee scored a thrilling come-from-behind 6-5 win by scoring four times in the bottom of the seventh capped off by Dylan Conklin's bases loaded walk-off single to right field.
In the opener the Chiefs got on the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jacob Cronshaw led off the frame with a walk before Louis Leon grounded a single through the right side. Max Smith then lofted a fly ball left field for a sacrifice fly to score Cronshaw. Sam Carroll followed with a double to left field putting runners at second and third with one out. Ben Hernandez then drove in Leon with another sacrifice fly to left field. The Pioneers got one of those runs back in the top of the second with three straight singles to start the inning. Chiefs' starter Joel Lively avoided any further damage by registering a pair of strikeouts along with catcher Chase Gabel gunning down a would-be base stealer.
Leon led off the bottom of the third with a line shot double over the right fielder's head. A two-out walk by Ben Hernandez and a wild pitch put runners in scoring position before Prairie State starter Jose Chacin got Andrew Hernandez to bounce out to shortstop. The Pioneers threatened again in their half of the fourth with back-to-back singles to start the inning. Three pitches later a low line drive to Conklin at shortstop turned into an unlikely triple play. The Pioneers' base runner Jesser Contreras, not wanting to get doubled off, retreated to second base as Conklin snagged a short hop off the dirt. Conklin then tagged Contreras, stepped on the bag and then relayed to first for a double play. After a lengthy discussion between the umpires and coaches from both teams Contreras was also ruled out for an inning-ending triple play.
Lively got himself in trouble in the top of the fifth by hitting a batter and issuing a walk to start the inning. He then pounced on a potential sacrifice bunt and fired to third to get a force out. A seeing-eye ground ball through the left side of the infield and an error allowed the Pioneers to tie the game. Two batters later Prairie State jumped ahead on a passed ball and added another run on a two-out, two-strike double to left center by Logan Tokarz to make it 4-2. The Chiefs then unraveled with a pair of errors and a wild pitch letting three more runs to score to break the game open. Max Smith came on in relief of Lively and quickly put an end to the six-run inning getting a pop out on the first pitch he threw.
Waubonsee looked to respond in the bottom half of the frame as Cronshaw led off with a sharp single to right and Leon drew a walk. Smith then smashed a grounder through the left side to load the bases with no outs. Carroll dropped a single to right to drive in a run and knock Chacin from the game as the potential tying run came to the plate against right-handed reliever A.J. Kvasnicka. The Chiefs got a run on a ground out to pull within 7-4 before stranding runners at second and third. Waubonsee again got a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the sixth inning to get the potential tying run to the plate once more. A two-out throwing error on Prairie State's Nuno Borges allowed both runners to score as Smith moved up to second base to put the tying run in scoring position. Pioneers' head coach Deandre Gilmore then went to his closer Pedro Pinto, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The right-hander, looking to earn his NJCAA Division II leading 10th save of the season, got a strikeout to end the inning and keep the visitors in front.
Prairie State utilized that momentum to tack on big insurance runs in the top of the seventh via a double, fly out and run-scoring single up the middle. An infield single scored a second run to give the Pioneers a 9-6 lead before the inning ended without more damage. Down to their last out the Chiefs got the potential tying run to the plate as Gabel smashed a double off the left field fence and Landen Young was hit by a pitch. Conklin then lined a single to left field, but a base running mistake ended with pinch-runner J.P. Merlak getting tagged out trying to get back to third base for the final out of the game.
Lively was saddled with the loss allowing four earned runs over four and two-thirds innings of work. Cronshaw finished the game 2 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored, while Leon was also 2 for 3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored. Carroll booked two hits as well and Smith knocked in three to lead the Chiefs' offense.
In game two the Pioneers got a run in the top of the first off Chiefs' starter Noah Dowler with a single, a walk and a run-scoring single. Waubonsee prevented a second run when Cronshaw scooped up a single to right field and fired to Ben Hernandez who relayed to Gabel to nab Tokarz at the plate. Leon then ripped a one-out double in the bottom of the first off Prairie State hurler Rodrigo Arceo but was left at third base.
The visitors added a run in the top of the third courtesy of a single to right, a bunt single, a wild pitch and a run-scoring ground out by Tokarz. Borges followed with a single to right to drive in another run giving the Pioneers a 3-0 lead. Waubonsee escaped further harm when Conklin turned an unassisted double play to end the inning. The score remained that way heading into the bottom of the fifth as the Chiefs worked to break the shutout getting two runners on base with only one out. Leon then came through by ripping a double over the center fielder's head to plate both runs and suddenly get Waubonsee within a run. Francis Best came on in relief for Prairie State and got a soft line out and a ground out to maintain a 3-2 Pioneers' lead.
Meanwhile, Dowler worked into the sixth inning allowing just one hit and no runs over three and a third innings to give the Chiefs a chance. He exited after Nathan Odaira reached on a two-out error, with Carson Baker coming on in relief. Odaira stole second and Anthony Dapice drew a walk before Jacob Stachelski singled to right. The throw home got away as Odaira slid in safely and Dapice raced around to score as well while Gabel scrambled to retrieve the errant throw, providing Prairie State with two huge insurance runs.
Waubonsee got two runners on in their half of the sixth bringing the potential tying run to the plate. But Emil Segura, the third Pioneers' pitcher of the game, wiggled out of the jam by getting Cronshaw to ground out to second base. As darkness began to settle over the area Leon led off the bottom of the seventh by slashing a triple past the left fielder. Pinto came on to close once more looking for his second save on the day. Smith greeted him with a double to left center field to get Waubonsee within 5-3 and bring the potential tying run to the plate with no one out. However, Carroll hit a sinking liner to right that was caught for the first out. Ben Hernandez then fouled off three pitches before working a walk to put the potential tying run on first. Cameron Hull pinch ran for Hernandez and moved into scoring position when Andrew Hernandez lined a single to center scoring Smith to make it a one-run game. Three pitches later Merlak was hit by a pitch to load the bases and put the tying run at third and the winning run at second. Jacob Decker then ripped a one-hopper that deflected off the glove of the Pioneers' first baseman for an error as Hull crossed the dish to tie the game. Conklin then stepped to the plate and rocketed the first pitch he saw to right field to set off a jubilant Chiefs' celebration just beyond first base.
Dowler went five and two-thirds innings striking out five, walking two and giving up three earned runs, getting a no decision. Baker got the win surrendering an unearned run over an inning and a third. Leon finished the game 3 for 4 with a double, a triple and two runs batted in while upping his season batting average to a team-leading .377 over 36 games played.
Waubonsee is action again this coming Thursday, April 24 when they host South Suburban College in a 2:00 p.m. doubleheader. Coach Alex Hales' Chiefs are also at home on Saturday, April 26 when Elgin Community College comes to Sugar Grove for an ISCC twin bill starting at noon. Waubonsee caps off the weekend on Sunday afternoon when they square off against Morton College at the Kane County Cougars' Northwestern Medicine Field beginning at 4:00 p.m.
