Author: Chris Seifert

5-14-2011 vs. Champaign Central Maroons

Game One	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
NCWHS Wildcats	1	2	0	7	3	X	X	13	12	1
Central Maroons	0	0	0	1	0	X	X	1	2	3

 

Game Two	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
NCWHS Wildcats	1	1	1	4	9	X	X	16	15	1
Central Maroons	0	0	2	1	0	X	X	3	6	2

 

Wildcats Down the Maroons Twice

The Normal West Wildcats avoided bad weather in Central Illinois and avoided a let down by beating the Champaign Central Maroons twice in 10-run rule five inning games.  The wins put the Wildcats at 9-2 in Big 12 Conference play and set up a pair of showdowns with Bloomington next week with the championship on the line.  With the central part of the state getting rain throughout the weekend and having games washed out, Champaign was relatively dry Saturday morning as the Wildcats bats were hot, producing 13-1 and 16-3 victories.  The Wildcats move to 25-6 overall and 9-2 in conference.

In the first game, Adam Seifert held the Maroons to one run on two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts over five innings to pick up his 5^th win of the year.  He was supported right away by an Adam McGinnis double and Wes Sery RBI single in the 1^st inning.  In the 2^nd, Erik Sipes doubled and scored when Matthew James doubled over the rightfielder. 

The Wildcats pulled away in the 4^th.  Sipes led off with a single and took second on an error.  Matthew James walked and they both stole a base.  Alex Jefferson knocked in Sipes with a sacrifice fly and then Kyle Vaughn walked to put two aboard again.  McGinnis got his third hit of the game to drive in James.  Sery singled home Vaughn and Rogers’ sharp single to left loaded the bases.  Seifert brought in two with a line drive to center.  He moved up on a wild pitch and then Rogers scored and Seifert moved to third on an errant pickoff throw by the pitcher.  Erik Sipes got hit by a pitch and when he stole second, Seifert took home to make it 10-0.  In the 5^th, Garrett Cook led off with a walk before Alex Jefferson grounded into a fielders choice.  A Vaughn walk put two on and McGinnis cleaned them off again with a double to left before scoring on a Sery sacrifice fly.

McGinnis led the Wildcats with four hits while Sery, Seifert and Sipes had two.  McGinnis and Sery each had three RBIs, with Seifert getting two.

In game two, Mac Byrd toed the rubber for the Wildcats, logging four innings to get his third victory on the year.  Mac gave up three runs on six hits with six strikeouts.  Dustin Detwieler pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts to finish the game off.

The Wildcats scored in the 1^st when Ryan Speller walked, stole second and scored on an Adam McGinnis single.  In the 2^nd, Adam Seifert walked, moved up on a wild pitch and Sipes sacrifice and scored on a James infield out.  In the 3^rd, Kyle Vaughn got the first of his three doubles and scored on another McGinnis base hit.  In the 4^th, James singled and stole second before Jake McDowell walked.  After a Jefferson sacrifice, Vaughn doubled them both home.  He scored on an infield error and Wes Sery drove in the fourth run of the inning with a double.

The Wildcats cleaned up in the 5^th with nine runs.  Seifert led off with a triple to left center.  Sipes drove him in with a single.  James got a hit and then McDowell got a hit to load the bases.  Jefferson drew a walk to score James before Vaughn doubled in McDowell and Jefferson.  McGinnis got his seventh hit of the day, driving in Vaughn and moving to second on the throw in.  After a wild pitch, Sery knocked him in with a sac fly.  Nolan Caldwell got aboard on a Maroon error before Sipes walked.  Jacob Davis knocked in Caldwell with a line single to left and then McDowell knocked in Sipes with a single.

Vaughn and McGinnis led the Wildcats with three hits, while James and McDowell had two each.  Vaughn drove in four and McGinnis two.

The Wildcats play next at Howard Saar Field on Tuesday at 4:30 against the Bloomington Raiders.

5-12-2011 vs. Decatur MacArthur Generals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
NCWHS Wildcats	1	0	0	0	5	9	X	15	12	0
MacArthur Generals	0	3	0	0	0	1	X	4	7	5

 

Wildcats Pounce on the Generals

The score shows a ten-run rule six inning game, but it was much closer than that for most of the game when the Normal West Wildcats downed the Decatur MacArthur Generals 15-4 at Decatur.  On a very nice spring day for a ballgame, the West bats were handcuffed for four innings with lots of pop ups and fly balls right at fielders. Once the bats started producing line drives and hard ground balls, the Wildcats started circling the bases, leading to the comfortable win.  The victory ups the Wildcat’s overall record to 23-6 and 8-2 in Big 12 Conference play.

The Wildcats broke out to a 1-0 lead in the 1^st inning when Alex Jefferson walked, stole second and scored on Wes Sery’s double over the center fielder.  The General struck back with three in the second off Wildcat starter Kyle Vaughn. 

The Wildcats got the bats going in the 5^th inning when Alex Jefferson led off by getting hit.  Kyle Vaughn’s bunt down the third base line was thrown away by the pitcher, scoring Jefferson and sending Vaughn all the way to third base.  Wes Sery singled to center to score Vaughn.  Trey Rogers then singled, but Sery got cut down at the plate.  After Adam Seifert walked, Erik Sipes singled to center to score Rogers and send Seifert to third.  Nolan Caldwell queued one to first that took a funny hop past the first baseman to score Seifert and Jake McDowell followed that with an RBI single to make it 6-3.

In the 6^th inning, Jefferson led off again with a walk. Vaughn followed with the same before Sery picked up his third hit, driving in Jefferson.  Rogers walked to load the bases again before a Sipes grounder to third was misplayed to score Vaughn.  Matthew James then doubled to drive in a run and McDowell singled again to drive in Sipes.  James scored when the ball got away between the pitcher and catcher before Jefferson and Vaughn both walked again.  Adam McGinnis singled to left field to drive in two and Sery finished a perfect day with his fourth hit to drive in Vaughn.

Vaughn pitched four innings to pick up his sixth win on the year.  He gave up three runs on six hits and five strikeouts.  Dustin Detweiler pitched a perfect 5^th with two strikeouts and Mac Byrd finished out in the 6^th with one run on one hit and two strikeouts.

Sery led the Wildcats with four hits, while Vaughn and McDowell had two.  McDowell and McGinnis led the Wildcats with two RBIs.

The Wildcats travel to Champaign on Saturday for a conference matchup with the Central Maroons at 10:00 AM.

5-11-2011 vs. Danville Vikings

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
NCWHS Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	7	1
Danville Vikings	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	5	0

 

Wildcats Miss Opportunities to Beat Danville

Missed opportunities was the name of the game when the Normal West Wildcats lost a 2-1 Big 12 Conference stunner to host Danville.  After conceding a first inning run that shouldn’t have scored, the Wildcats got the leadoff man on base in four of the next five innings and each time got the runner to third base, but could never get the key hit to gain momentum.  Ultimately, a completely unexpected walk off home run silenced the Wildcats in the bottom of the 7^th inning, sending the record to 22-6 overall and 7-2 in conference.

Wildcat ace Matthew James went to the mound to face Viking ace Cody Burton.  The Wildcats gave up a run in the first when, with two outs, a lazy fly ball fell in shallow left field to keep the inning alive and the next batter got a hit.  The Wildcats looked to tie it up in the second when Trey Rogers doubled down the left field line, Adam Seifert got hit by a pitch and they were sacrificed over, but not that inning.  In the 4^th a Wes Sery double and infield grounder that moved him up didn’t amount to anything when the squeeze play failed.  Erik Sipes singled, got moved over and stole third base in the 5^th, but we came up empy there too.

In the top of the 6^th inning the Wildcats tied the game when Kyle Vaughn led off with a walk and Adam McGinnis doubled into the gap in right center.  After Sery’s second hit of the game put runners on the corners, he stole second.  Again, Burton’s strong pitching silenced the Wildcats.

In the 7^th, Danville’s Zach Thomas worked a long at bat into a full count, plus a couple of foul balls, before homering just over the left field fence to end the game and start a huge Viking celebration.

James threw six plus innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk with ten strikeouts.  Wes Sery led the Cats with two hits while Adam McGinnis had the only RBI.

The Wildcats return to action tomorrow with a trip to Decatur for the second game against the MacArthur Generals