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Red-hot Devils' comebacks extend winning streak to seven
May 10, 2007 | Bill Stone, Sports Writer | Hinsdale Doings
Hinsdale Central baseball player Jared White did his job as a pinch-hitter Monday, but it wasn't the way he would have imagined.
White got on base with a walk and then scored the winning run from third on a wild pitch as the Red Devils scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally past Glenbard West 7-5 in Hinsdale for their seventh straight victory following a 10-game losing streak.
Moments earlier, Eric Wroble scored from third base on a wild pitch to tie the game 5-5. Jason McClain later reached on an error and scored on Kris Leksas' double.
"I thought I was going to get hit in, but scoring any way that's possible is good," White said. "Once I saw the (relief pitcher) warming up, he was kind of wild so I kind of expected something when I was on third base after Wroble scored."
The Red Devils are getting used to pulling off the unexpected in the West Suburban Conference Silver Division. On April 24, Billy Auriemma's two-out, bases-loaded single to left completed a three-run, bottom-of-the-seventh rally that beat Downers Grove North 7-6 after trailing 5-0 to sweep that three-game series.
On Monday, the Red Devils (11-12, 8-6 in Silver) trailed 5-3 in the fourth. White pinch-hit for Auriemma and walked after Glenbard West changed pitchers. Wroble and White scored after they advanced to third and second on Carl Madej's sacrifice bunt.
McClain relieved Garrett Cook (2-3) and got the save by pitching the entire seventh, striking out the final batter with the bases loaded. Leksas walked three times and scored each time, getting hit in twice by Brett Suchy (2 for 3) and a Rich Brennan ground out.
Against Downers North, Auriemma's big hit came on an 0-and-1 curve ball. Frank Defino reached on an error, Brennan singled and Wroble walked to load the bases with one out. Jack DiNardo then reached on an infield hit, and White brought in the tying run when his hard grounder was mishandled. DiNardo also hit a two-run homer in the first.
Rush got the win after relieving Cook in the seventh with a runner on and no outs and retiring the side on nine pitches.
On Friday, the Red Devils beat Glenbard West 7-4 in Hinsdale behind a six-run second that included a double by Wroble, two-run single by Leksas and RBIs by Suchy and DiNardo. Defino doubled and scored on Brennan's single in the third. Rush (2-2) pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and striking out eight. Leksas, Brennan, Wroble, Madej and Defino were 2 for 3.
The Red Devils also beat Proviso East 12-2 in five innings May 2 and Morton 10-7 May 3. Against Proviso East, DiNardo's solo homer gave him one in five consecutive games and seven on the season, and Wroble (2 for 4, 3 RBIs) added a two-run homer that ended the game by virtue of the 10-run rule. White (RBI triple, double, 2 runs), Brennan (2-run double, 3 runs), Leksas (2 runs) and Grant Slesser and Ryan Murphy (double each) also contributed. Brennan (1-1) allowed four hits with two strikeouts.
Auriemma had a three-run homer against Morton, a double and four RBIs and DiNardo (2-run single, 2 runs) and Wroble also had two hits. Winning pitcher Kasey Ourada (4-3) was relieved after fanning 10 over six innings. McClain got the save with two straight strikeouts after Morton scored four runs in the seventh.
Against LT (18-4, 11-3), Wroble went 2 for 3 and scored on Billy Auriemma’s groundout in a three-run fifth to cut the lead to 7-5, but the Red Devils couldn’t recover from the Lions’ seven-run fourth that included a triple and two doubles.
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