Wildcats Win Shutout with 9-Run Fifth.

The University School baseball team continued its undefeated season with an 11-0 victory over Lake Country Lutheran in a Midwest Classic Conference North game Tuesday in Hartland. 

The Wildcats scored nine runs in the top of the fifth inning to end the game early as their starting pitcher senior Josh Baker struck out ten and pitched a three-hit shutout.

The game was crisply played.  USM scored two efficient runs in the top of the first.  With two out, Baker tripled to center.  Senior Tommy Pennington drove him in with a single.  Junior Billy Lawton then singled, sending Pennington to third.  Pennington raced home on a wild throw from the outfield.

After that Baker and Lake Country Lutheran’s starter Chris Kornowski locked in a pitching duel for the first four innings.  Neither team scored again until, like a smoldering volcano, the Wildcats finally erupted in what proved to be their last at bats.

In the top of the fifth, sophomore Greg Trinkl led off with a walk.  Baker doubled, sending Trinkl to third.  Trinkl raced home on a ground out RBI by Pennington.  Lawton reached on a fielder’s choice that did not produce an out.  Then with Baker on third and Lawton on first, senior Nathan Burke stepped to the plate and hit a first pitch fastball over the right field wall to make the score 6-0. Burke said, “It was low and in, and I drilled it.”

USM was not done and the Wildcats scored three more in dramatic fashion.  Burke’s homer unnerved Kornowski, and he hit USM next batter, sophomore Duncan Brown with a pitch.  Junior Joey Judge ran for Brown, and Judge was safe at second on a stolen base.  Sophomore Jack Wells walked.  Junior Nishad Agrawal bunted and was safe at first on another error.  With the bases loaded, USM’s head coach Tim Bartz signaled for a squeeze play.  The Wildcats executed it to perfection. With Judge swiftly approaching the plate, senior Lane Stanford dropped a bunt down the right side of the infield.  He was out on the sacrifice, but he had two RBIs: Judge scored as he bunted, and Wells, who was also running on the play, scored. Agrawal went into third standing.  Then, for the second time in the inning, Trinkl walked.  Baker then singled for his second hit of the inning, driving in Agrawal and sending Trinkl to third.  Baker stole second, and Pennington collected his second and third RBIs of the inning by driving the two runners home with a single.

In the game, Baker was the winning pitcher, and Kornowski was the loser.  At the plate, Baker went 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and 3 runs scored.  Burke was 2 for 2 with the homerun and 3 RBIs; Pennington was 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs.

USM’s record is now 9-0 and 6-0 in the conference.  Lake Country Lutheran is now 4-4 and 3-3 in the conference.  The two teams play each other again at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at USM.