H-BR runs out of gas in title game

SOMONAUK -- A pitcher with a strong arm was better than three with tired arms in Saturday's championship game of the Somonauk Class 1A regional.

Immaculate Conception rode the two-hit, eight-strikeout, pitching of Dan Muisenga to a 5-2 victory in the title match.

"He had a little more velocity than we've seen this year and he had a tight curveball too," H-BR head coach Todd Prellberg said. "We battled them, got some runners on base, (but) just couldn't get them over."

The Knights (12-18) took the lead in the bottom of the first without needing a hit. Leadoff hitter Frank Carpanzo walked, stole second, went to third on an infield out and scored on the front end of a double steal after Muisenga was hit by a pitch.

A two-run third proved to be only padding Muisenga needed and he knocked both runners home with a bounding single between third and short. Two more IC runs crossed the plate in the fifth and both scored after two were out.

Muisenga started that rally with a sharp single to left. Then the strong wind blowing to right field played a nasty trick on the Royals. It blew a high pop-up by Carlos Rodriguez out of any fielder's reach, falling safely for a single as Muisenga motored to third.

Jack Dempsey's infield single to deep shortstop plated Muisenga and an error sent Rodriguez to third, where he scored on a single to center by Jose Godinez.

H-BR scored single unearned runs in the fourth and sixth. Losing pitcher Kyle Runyan walked to open the fourth, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error.

Colton Craig drilled a single to center to lead-off the sixth, went to second on a walk to Runyan and to third on a wild pitch. He scored on an error.

Prellberg started Runyan on the mound and followed that with Colton Craig in the third and finished with Nolan Craig.

"We just ran out of pitchers," Prellberg said. "We had a lot of pitches on the arms were threw out there. We did everything we could, we just lost to a better team today."

The Royals (11-12) did go down fighting. They put runners on second and third in the top of the seventh, thanks to a walk and an error, but couldn't get a run-scoring hit.

Class 1A Somonauk Baseball Regional