Category: 2010 Varsity News

5-11-2010 vs. Bloomington Purple Raiders

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
NCWHS Wildcats	0	1	0	1	3	0	0	5	9	0
Bloomington Raiders	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	5	0

Collins Pitches Wildcats Past Purple Raiders

Michael Collins used a sharp breaking curve ball and some sharp defense to shut down the potent offense of the Bloomington Purple Raiders in a key Big 12 Conference matchup at Howard Saar Field in Bloomington.  The result was a 5-2 victory and a two game lead in the conference standings as the Wildcats move to 22-6 overall and 9-0 in conference.  The Purple Raiders drop to 7-2 in conference.

Collins allowed four hits over the first five innings, getting out of a second and third with one out jam in the 2^nd inning when third baseman Wes Sery snagged a line drive and getting a clean 4-6-3 double play to end the 5^th inning.  In the 6^th inning, three walks sandwiched around an Alex Ludwig single brought in a run with one out.  A ground ball to short forced the second out at second base and Collins locked up the next batter with a curve ball for strike three to end the threat.  In the 7^th inning, he fanned the first and last hitter on breaking pitches to end it.  Collins allowed five hits and three walks and struck out four in the complete game victory.

Two deep home runs highlighted the Wildcats offense.  Jason Cullen’s solo shot to center field in the 4^th inning gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead and Brock Stewart two-run homer to center in the 5^th gave the Wildcats some breathing room, making it 4-0.  The Wildcats broke on top in the 2^nd inning when Jacob Birlingmaier led off with a single to center.  Courtesy runner Alex Jefferson moved up to second and third base on wild pitches and scored on an Adam Seifert single to left.  In the 5^th inning, Kyle Vaughn got things started with a walk and moved to second on a Collins sacrifice bunt before Stewart crushed a Dylan Johnson offering for his homer.  Birlingmaier got things started again with a double to right center and scored on a Sery line drive single.

The Wildcats were led by Birlingmaier and Sery with two hits and Stewart had two runs batted in.

The Wildcats and Raiders will meet again on Thursday at West Varsity Field in Normal.

5-8-2010 vs. O’Fallon Panthers

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
O’Fallon Panthers	0	1	1	1	1	0	0	4	7	2
NCWHS Wildcats	1	0	0	1	3	1	X	6	11	3

Wildcats Take Third Place in Tourney

The Normal West Wildcats didn’t get the tournament championship they wanted, but did get some consolation by beating the host O’Fallon Panthers 6-4 in the third place game.  The Wildcats came from behind with three runs in the bottom of the 5^th inning to take a 5-4 lead and held on from there to up their record to 21-6 overall. 

The Wildcats got on the board first with Michael Collins driving a single to left field ahead of a Brock Stewart double that scored him.  After getting down 3-1, the Wildcats clawed back in the 4^th inning when Adam Seifert, Kyle Vaughn and Michael Collins singled to score a run.  The Wildcats got three in the 5^th with some help from the Panthers.  Wes Sery singled to start the rally followed by a Trey Rogers single.  Alex Jefferson’s bunt was then thrown down the right field line, scoring Sery and sending the runners to second and third.  A wild pitch brought in Rogers easily and a second one resulted in a great leaping slide from Alex Jefferson to get under the tag and give the Wildcats the lead at 5-4.  The Wildcats tacked on an insurance run in the 7^th inning when Collins led off by getting hit, stealing second, and scoring on a Jason Cullen single.

Cullen started on the mound for the Wildcats and pitched the first four innings.  He gave up three runs, only two earned, on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts.  Adam Seifert relieved in the 5^th inning and got the win due the to the Wildcats rally.  He allowed one unearned run on two hits and two walks over his three innings of work.

Seifert, Sery and Collins led the Wildcats with two hits each, while Collins, Stewart and Cullen had the only runs batted in for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats return to action on Tuesday in a conference showdown at Howard Saar Field at 4:30 against second place Bloomington High School.

5-8-2010 vs. Harrisburg Bulldogs

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Harrisburg Bulldogs	0	0	0	2	0	1	1	4	6	0
NCWHS Wildcats	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	1

Wildcats Lose Tight One to Undefeated Harrisburg

The Normal West Wildcats had their opportunities to give Harrisburg their first loss of the season in the semifinals of the O’Fallon/Troy Triad Baseball Classic Saturday at Blazier Field in O’Fallon, but couldn’t quite pull it off.  The 4-2 loss for the Wildcats dropped the overall record to 20-6 and ended a 16 game winning streak while raising Harrisburg to 31-0.

The Wildcats took an early lead against Bulldog ace Reid Roper in the 1^st inning.  Michael Collins drew a one out walk and stole second base.  Brock Stewart singled off the first baseman’s glove to put runners on the corners before Jason Cullen got hit by a pitch.  Jacob Birlingmaier then got hit in the back as well to bring home Collins, but the Wildcats couldn’t capitalize with any more.  In the 2^nd inning, Tyler Emmerson singled off the pitcher and moved up on an Adam Seifert sacrifice bunt.  Kyle Vaughn lined to center field for a single, putting runners on the corners before a Collins walk loaded the bases.  Stewart then drove in Emmerson with a ground ball fielder’s choice to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.

Tyler Emmerson started on the mound for the Wildcats and got through the first three innings untouched, with the help of some excellent defense.  Wes Sery started two 5-4-3 double plays and a third force out at second on a great backhand play, as well as getting a force at third base to end an inning.  In the 4^th, after a double and a walk, the only error on the game hurt the Wildcats.  A sacrifice bunt was thrown into the right field corner, allowing both runners to score and the bunter to third base.  Emmerson, though, got a strike out, ground ball back to himself and pop up to limit further damage. 

In the 5^th inning, the Bulldogs threatened with a one-out walk and a single before Emmerson was lifted for Kyle Vaughn.  After walking the first batter, Vaughn got out of the bases loaded jam by inducing a ground ball to Sery for a force at the plate and a pop foul that he caught himself.  In the 6^th, though, a Cain Sheldon drive to the short right field fence just got over to put the Bulldogs up 3-2.  They tacked on one in the 7^th inning, before the Wildcats threatened in the bottom of the inning.  With one out, Collins got hit by a pitch and Brock Stewart hit one deep to left center that looked like it might go out, but landed at the fence for a double.  Unfortunately, Roper struck out the last two Wildcats to end the game.

Emmerson pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowed 2 unearned runs on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts.  Kyle Vaughn took the loss, giving up one run on one hit and two walks with a strikeout in his 1 1/3 innings.  Erik Sipes finished for the Wildcats, going 1 1/3 innings with a run on one hit and two walks. 

Stewart led the Wildcats with two hits, including a double, while he and Birlingmaier drove in runs.

The Wildcats will face O’Fallon in the third place game later today.