Category: News

5-23-2011 vs. Edwardsville Tigers

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
NCWHS Wildcats	0	5	1	4	6	X	X	16	17	1
Edwardsville Tigers	0	1	2	0	0	X	X	3	5	3

 

Wildcats Tune Up on the Tigers 16 – 3

The Normal West Wildcats added a late game to the schedule to tune up for regional play.  The bats got a good tune up on Edwardsville pitching as they slugged 17 hits in a 16-3 five inning game at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield.  Wes Sery and Erik Sipes were particularly potent with three hits each and Sery’s three doubles broke a school record for doubles in a season with 20.  The win ended the Wildcats regular season at 28-7.

Three Wildcat pitchers got a light workout to prepare for postseason.  Adam Seifert started on the mound and went two innings to pick up his seventh win on the season.  He pitched two innings, giving up a run on two hits and a walk and three strikeouts.  Nick Barnhill followed him to the mound, going two innings and allowing two unearned runs on three hits, a walk, a hit batter and striking out one.  Dustin Detweiler closed the game out in the 5^th with a perfect inning, including two strikeouts.

After a scoreless first, the Wildcats batted around in the 2^nd.  Trey Rogers got things started by getting on base on an infield error before Matthew James singled up the middle.  Rogers and James stole a base to move up before Erik Sipes walked to load the bases.  Ryan Speller then worked a long at bat into a walk to bring home Rogers.  Kyle Vaughn singled over the second baseman to drive in two before Wes Sery’s second double of the game scored two more to make it 5-0.

Matthew James tripled over the centerfielder to get things going in the 3^rd inning and Sipes followed with a single down the line to drive him in.  In the 4^th, Alex Jefferson opened with a single before stealing second base and scoring on two wild pitches.  Adam McGinnis walked and moved to third on an Adam Seifert single to right that was misplayed by the rightfielder.  Seifert stole second and both scored on a James single to right.  After James stole second, Sipes singled for his second hit of the game, driving in James to up the lead to 10-3.

The Wildcats put the game away in the 5^th when Vaughn singled and moved up on a wild pitch.  Jefferson singled to put two men on before Sery hit a bomb off the deep right center fence to score Vaughn.  McGinnis’ infield grounder scored Jefferson when the ball came out of the first baseman’s glove.  Seifert drove in Sery with a sacrifice fly to center before Rogers got hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second.  James walked to load the bases before Sipes got his third hit of the day, a double that drove in McGinnis and Rogers.  Garrett Cook then singled off the diving third baseman’s glove to score James and make it 16-3.

Sery, James and Sipes all had three hits to lead the Wildcats while Vaughn and Jefferson had two.  Sipes drove in four runs, with Sery knocking in three and James two.

The Wildcats start regional tournament play on Wednesday at home against Bradley Bourbonnais in the regional semi-final.

05-21-2011 vs. Oak Forest Bengals

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Oak Forest Bengals	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	3	6	1
NCWHS Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	3

 

Wildcats Fall to Bengals 3-1

One way to prepare for the state baseball tournament is to face tough pitching.  The Normal West Wildcats took on that challenge against the Oak Forest Bengals on a beautiful day for baseball at West Varsity Field, but came up on the short end of a 3-1 game.  Louisville-bound Oak Forest pitcher Kyle Funkhouser subdued the Wildcats on three hits to raise his record to 9-0.  The Wildcats had runners on base in the each of the first three innings, but couldn’t break through.  Funkhouser settled in from there and only allowed one baserunner over the final four innings.  The Wildcats record moves to 27-7 on the season with the loss.

Kyle Vaughn led the Wildcats with two hits, including a single in the 6^th that led to the Wildcats only run.  After the single, Vaughn moved to second on an errant pickoff throw and to third on a balk before Adam McGinnis drove him in with an infield out.  McGinnis accounted for the Wildcats other hit with a single up the middle in the 1^st inning.

Alex Jefferson started on the mound and took the loss.  Jefferson pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts.  Dustin Detweiler relieved in the 4^th inning, pitching 2 2/3 innings with an unearned run on two hits, a walk and three strikeouts.  Adam McGinnis pitched the 7^th inning,  allowing no runs on a hit and a walk and striking out three.

The Wildcats get one more tuneup before regional action when they travel to Springfield and Lincoln Land Community College to face the Edwardsville Tigers on Monday.

5-19-2011 vs. Bloomington Raiders

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Bloomington Raiders	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	4	9	1
NCWHS Wildcats	1	0	0	0	3	0	0	1	5	10	1

 

Wildcats Win Share of Big 12 Championship

 The Normal West Wildcats came from behind to defeat the Bloomington Raiders 5-4 in eight innings to win a share of the Big 12 Conference championship, their fourth straight.  Kyle Vaughn singled to right center to score Matthew James with the winner in the bottom of the 8^th to start the celebration.  The victory improves the Wildcats record to 27-6 and 11-2 in conference.

The Wildcats got out to a lead in the first inning when Alex Jefferson singled and got moved to second on a Vaughn bunt.  With two outs, Wes Sery singled to right center to score him.  The Raiders struck back in the 2^nd on a Tyler Dicken home run to left.  The Raiders got timely hitting in the 3^rd and 4^th as they sacrificed a runner to second for the second out both times and then got singles to drive him in.

The Wildcats fought back in the 5^th to make it 4-4 when Matthew James singled to lead off and Ryan Speller singled past the third baseman to put two runners on.  Jefferson promptly got hit in the back to load the bases and Kyle Vaughn singled over the second baseman to drive in James.  A wild pitch brought in Speller and moved the runners up.  After an diving infield out, Wes Sery was intentionally walked to load the bases again.  With two outs Adam Seifert worked an eleven pitch at bat into a walk to force in Jefferson with the tying run and set up the late inning dramatics.

After a scoreless 6^th and 7^th where Bloomington each time got a lead-off single and sacrifice, but couldn’t get a key hit,   The Wildcats got their own opportunity with the bases loaded in the their 7^th, but couldn’t push one across.  In the 8^th, the Wildcats broke through when Matthew James singled up the middle to lead off.   The second baseman made a diving stop, but his late throw was wild and allowed James to go to second.  Ryan Speller got hit by a pitch pulling back from a bunt, then Kyle Vaughn drove a line drive into right center to win the game.

Adam Seifert got the win for the Wildcats, working the 7^th and 8^th.  He improves to 6-0 on the season with no runs and no hits and two walks and two strikeouts.  Kyle Vaughn started on the mound for the Wildcats, going 3 2/3 innings with four runs on six hits and a strikeout.  Dustin Detweiler relieved him and went 2 1/3 innings with no runs on three hits and a strikeout.

Vaughn, Sery and James led the Wildcats with two hits while Vaughn had two RBI.

The Wildcats return to action on Saturday at home against the always tough Oak Forest Bengals, who sport a 19-4 record.