Kits Can't Find Consistency On Mound

Evanston’s inexperienced pitching staff has fallen into a pattern this spring.

The Wildkits battle opposing teams for three or four innings, and then the number of non-competitive pitches they’ve thrown piles up on ETHS.

That pattern continued again Tuesday at Maine South. Tied at 2-2 after three innings, the Wildkits surrendered seven runs in the bottom of the fourth and the Hawks pulled away for a 12-2 slaughter rule victory in Central Suburban League South division play.

The two teams return to ETHS Wednesday to conclude a matchup that started on Monday but was suspended by lighting in the bottom of the fifth. Maine South, now 7-6 overall and 1-0 in league play, holds a 7-2 lead in that game thanks to five errors committed by the Kits in the first two innings.

The series concludes on Thursday back at ETHS.

Veteran head coach Frank Consiglio insists that he sees a light at the end of the tunnel as the Kits fell to 6-9 overall.

“There is a path (to success) for us,” said Consiglio following Tuesday’s defeat. “We think we have the pieces. We’re still figuring things out.

“The issue (for the pitchers) continues to be that they’re throwing too many non-competitive pitches, especially when they get ahead in counts. Then they get into a hitter’s count --- and the answer then is to throw it right over the middle. That makes it a lot easier for the hitter.

“We’re constantly pitching from behind. We need more consistency over seven innings. You can’t just compete for three or four innings in this league.”

Junior left-hander Matt Gilroy yielded two runs in the first three innings, and in the Hawks’ fourth both Gilroy and reliever Tyler Long allowed the first five Maine South batters to reach safely in a variety of ways --- walk, infield single, another single, a hit batter and an RBI double by the No. 9 hitter, Alex Vale.

Later in that same frame, Hawks’ clean-up Nate Cera clubbed a wind-aided two run homer and the Hawks added three more runs in the fifth off ETHS junior Chuck Lubinsky.

Evanston’s Tate Schroeder hit a solo homer to dead center in the second and Ryan Rappoport drove in a run in the third with a single after a two-out double by Garrett Hagerty.

“I thought Matt (Gilroy) did a lot of good things today,” said Consiglio. “When he gets ahead of hitters, and competes on the outside half of the plate, that’s when he does well. Maine South had a lot of soft contact against him, and that tells me he was commanding the outer one-third of the plate.”