The score: Hinsdale South 5, Hinsdale Central 4
The way it happened: Senior outfielder Matt Reschke keyed the Hinsdale South offense with a three-run triple in the third inning and senior Mike Rizzo pitched a complete game during the Hornets' home win Tuesday over the Red Devils.
Central jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by junior Matt Muellner, but South rallied with a four-run third that saw Red Devils senior pitcher Basil Arain give up two singles, hit a batter, and walk in a run before Reschke's triple cleared the bases.
Rizzo gave up three runs in the fifth inning before retiring the Red Devils in order in both the sixth and seventh.
The play: With one out and nobody in the top of the sixth inning, junior Central shortshop Ryan Haff hit a soft liner up the middle of the field. Junior South second baseman Joe Oehmen ran to his right and made a diving catch near second base to keep the Red Devils from putting the tying run on base.
The quote: "We came in today thinking the playoffs start today," Rizzo said of the Hornets, who entered the game after finishing a 16-2 season in the West Suburban Gold. "You don't want to come into the playoffs flat; you don't want to come in with cold bats. So we're really trying to get everything going with the bats, and the fielding, and the pitching. If we can do that going into the playoffs, there's no reason we can't make a deep run."
The Hinsdale South notables:
- Mike Rizzo: 7 IP, 4 R, 7 H, 1 BB, 2 SO
- Matt Reschke: 2-3, 1 triple, 1 single, 3 RBI
- Don Buonavolanto: 0-2, BB, RBI
The Hinsdale Central notables:
- Basil Arain: 4 IP, 5 R, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 SO
- Matt Muellner: 1-3, 2 RBI
- Alec Hutcherson: 2-3, RBI
- Jacob White: 1-3, RBI, BB
The next opponents:
- Hinsdale South: Thursday at Downers North, 4:30 p.m.
- Hinsdale Central: Thursday vs. Proviso East, 4:30 p.m.