St. Charles East rallies for four runs in seventh to beat Wheaton North
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| WHE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
St. Charles East broke open a scoreless pitchers' duel with four runs in the top of the seventh inning and then closed the door in the bottom half to earn a 4-1 road win over Wheaton North on Wednesday.
The decisive stretch came with the Fighting Saints down to their final three outs after Wheaton North pushed across the game's first run in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out single to center. St. Charles East answered immediately. Tyler Phillips started the rally with a one-out single to right, and Niko Vahmistrovs followed with a single that sent Phillips to third. After Vahmistrovs stole second, Mason Daros put the ball in play on a fielder's choice. Wheaton North tried to cut down Phillips at the plate, but Phillips avoided the tag to tie the game at 1-1.
The Saints kept the inning moving from there. Daros stole second, then Sean Groselak lined a double down the right-field line to bring home both Vahmistrovs and Daros for a 3-1 lead. Two batters later, Dylan McCabe added a two-out RBI double to score Groselak and make it 4-1. St. Charles East collected four of its seven hits in that seventh-inning burst.
Before the late offense, the game belonged to the starting pitchers. St. Charles East right-hander Gavin Fuscone and Wheaton North starter Kyle Eddy traded scoreless innings through the first five frames as both teams created chances but could not cash in. Fuscone set the tone on the mound, working 6.0 innings while allowing three hits and one earned run with two walks and eight strikeouts. He threw 60 of his 84 pitches for strikes and earned his second consecutive win.
McCabe also contributed on both sides of the ball. At the plate, he finished 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Groselak went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored, and Daros drove in a run on the key seventh-inning fielder's choice. After taking over in the bottom of the seventh, McCabe walked the leadoff hitter but retired the next three Falcons to secure the save.
The comeback gave St. Charles East a win that had to be earned late, after six tight innings in which clean defense and strong pitching kept offense at a premium. When the Saints finally broke through, they did it all at once, turning a 1-0 deficit into a three-run victory in a matter of minutes.
With the win, the Saints improve to 15-5 overall and 7-2 in the Dukane Conference.
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