Author: Chris Seifert

05-21-2011 vs. Oak Forest Bengals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
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

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	R	H	E
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.

5-17-2011 vs. Bloomington Raiders

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
NCWHS Wildcats	1	1	4	0	4	X	X	10	15	1
Bloomington Raiders	0	0	0	0	0	X	X	0	4	0

 

Wildcats Handle the Raiders 10-0

The Normal West Wildcats needed a victory at Bloomington to regain a share of the Big 12 Conference lead and set up a championship showdown on Thursday at home.  They came through with relative comfort in a 10-0 win in five innings, pounding out 15 hits, peppering the hole between short and third with ground ball singles.  The wins moves the Wildcats record to 26-6 overall and 10-2 in the Big 12 Conference.

Matthew James controlled the Raiders on the mound, allowing a few more runners than usual, but continually making quality pitches in key situations.  James picks up his sixth win of the season, going five innings and giving up no runs on four hits, two walks, a hit batter with nine strikeouts.

The offense staked James to an early lead with a run in the 1^st inning.  Kyle Vaughn walked and moved around to third on wild pitches.  Wes Sery walked and worked the double steal with Vaughn to make it 1-0.  In the 2^nd, Adam Seifert singled to lead off.  Matthew James singled to right to move him up.  Garrett Cook singled to left, but Seifert got cut down at the plate when he stumbled coming around third.  Alex Jefferson then walked to load the bases before Kyle Vaughn singled past the second baseman to score James. 

The Wildcats extended their lead in the 3^rd inning when Rogers singled up the middle and took second on a wild pitch.   Erik Sipes two out single between first and second scored Rogers.  James singled to right again to put runners on the corners, and then stole second base.  Garrett Cook walked and Jefferson drove in two with a single to center.  Cook went to third on the single and scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-0.

In the 5^th inning, the Wildcats started a four run rally after two were out.  Jefferson singled up the middle, Vaughn singled to right and McGinnis singled past the third baseman to drive in Jefferson.  Sery then singled to left to score Vaughn.  Rogers drove in McGinnis with a hit and Seifert finished it off with a double to left to score Sery and make it 10-0.

Rogers led the Wildcats with three hits, while Jefferson, Vaughn, Seifert and James had two and everyone in the lineup had at least one.  Jefferson had two RBIs, while six other batters had one.

The Wildcats and Raiders will do it again on Thursday at 4:30 at West Varsity Field in the rematch, with at least a share of the conference title on the line.