Westminster Christian remains hot

ELGIN -- Westminster Christian's big blue machine continued to roll Tuesday.

The Warriors saw their state-record streak of six consecutive shutouts come to an end when St. Francis pushed across three runs in the top of the first inning.

However, the early setback didn't deter Westminster, which answered right back by sending 17 batters to the plate and scoring 14 runs in the bottom of the inning.

 

Ryan Donahue

Leading the first-inning onslaught for the Warriors was senior Ryan Donahue, who connected for a grand slam and three-run homer in the opening frame. He later added a double and finished the game 3-for-4 with seven RBIs.

"We've always played well coming from behind, and I think our offense just kicked in when we fell behind right away," Donahue said.

Westminster (14-3) came into the game having outscored its past six opponents by a combined score of 80-0. According to ihsa.org, the six straight shutouts broke the previous state record of five shutouts in a row, which six different teams had accomplished.

Any hope of extending the shutout streak quickly came to an end when St. Francis (8-6) touched Warriors starter Brandon Siewert for three runs in the top of the first.

Westminster wasted no time responding, though, as the first seven batters in its order all reached base twice in the inning and scored two runs apiece.

The Warriors tied the score at 3 when No. 6 hitter Ben Palmer was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Donahue then stepped to the plate and sent a soaring shot over the scoreboard in left field for a grand slam to give the Warriors the lead for good.

St. Francis starter Mango Consiglio (0-1) managed to retire the next two batters, but the rally began anew when Westminster got back to the top of its order.

Carter Ward contributed an RBI double and Siewert added a two-run single in their second at-bats of the inning before Donahue sent a three-run shot to center to give Westminster a 14-3 lead.

"I was just working on staying on top of the ball and keeping my hands back on those home runs," Donahue said. "There wasn't too much thinking, I was just seeing the ball and hitting it."

The Warriors are now averaging 11.2 runs per game for the season. Joining Donahue as the leaders in Westminster's 16-hit attack Tuesday were Casey Schuring (3-for-4, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases), Ward (3-for-4, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) and Hodge (2-for-2, 2 RBIs, 3 runs).

"We have total confidence in our offense," Hodge said. "Everyone one through nine is hitting the ball hard everywhere, so we know we've always got our bats to fall back on."

Siewert (4-0) emerged with the win despite allowing 10 earned runs on 11 hits in six-plus innings. He struck out three and walked four.

The Spartans made things interesting by scoring three runs in the seventh, and they had the tying run on deck when Schuring struck out Dean Quaranta to end the game. That inability to put St. Francis away was the only cause for concern for Westminster coach Jeff Moeller.

"I think at times we show a little bit of immaturity when we take a big lead and go back on the field and relax instead of showing that killer instinct," Moeller said. "But that's something we're working on and I think we'll get around to that."