Kits Turn Back The Clock For 'Throwback' Win

Evanston’s baseball team wore dark blue uniform tops with a big “E” emblazoned on the front of the shirt back in the day.

But it’s been at least five years since the Wildkits wore those colors --- until head coach Frank Consiglio decided to go into “throwback” mode for Monday’s Central Suburban League South division series opener against Glenbrook South.

The switch in uniforms coincided with a ceremony honoring retiring ETHS teachers/coaches Steve Wool, Marx Succes and Karilyn Joyce, and the inspired Kits turned it into a celebration of their own with a 14-4 rout of GBS.

Ryan Rappoport went 4-for-4 at the plate and Tate Schroeder drove in four runs with a single and a double as the Wildkits slaughtered a Titans’ team that will likely finish second in the division standings behind Maine South. Winning pitcher Elliot Paul improved to 6-3 on the season with another solid mound performance for Evanston, now 10-17 overall and 4-9 in league play.

The two teams resume the series on Tuesday at GBS, with the finale moving back to ETHS on Thursday. Sam Kalil and Johnny Kellams will be the probable starting pitchers for the Kits.

By the time the hosts wrapped up the victory, assistant coaches Jake Snider and Joe Liss, in addition to an alum who paid a visit --- B.J. Johnson, Class of 2016 --- were all experiencing senior moments even though they’re still under 30 years old.

“My favorite thing today was seeing those three guys having the jerseys they wore in high school considered ‘old school’ by the current players,” kidded Evanston head coach Frank Consiglio. “I think that’s one of the first times they’ve actually ever felt old.

“It’s the first time we’ve worn those jerseys in at least four or five years. We’ve been posting (on the team website) some old pictures of them and, since we were going to recognize the retiring teachers, we thought it would be cool to honor our past players, too, and to connect those dots.”

The winners scored in every inning on their way to the 10-run rule. They led 10-1 after two innings and finished with a total of 11 hits, combined with six South errors. Five different players drove in runs for ETHS against Titan hurlers Henry Schott, Conor Fallon and Skyler Joseph.

Paul permitted just three hits --- including a solo home run by South’s Jack Stefani in the first inning --- while striking out 7 and walking 3. Junior Matt Gilroy got the last two outs on infield grounders in the top of the fifth.

No pitcher on the roster can complain about a lack of offensive support this spring. Monday, Evanston totaled 6 runs in the first, 4 in the second, 1 in both the third and fourth, and 2 in the fifth when Noah Nelson delivered a walk-off single to boost the advantage to 10 runs.

A single by leadoff hitter Nate Willman and Rappoport’s ground-rule double that hopped over the fence in right center started that surge in the Evanston first. Aaron Shalin’s sacrifice fly tied the game and Schroeder was hit by a pitch, before Nelson and Garrett Hagerty ripped RBI singles for a lead the Wildkits never relinquished.

A catcher’s interference call, a hit batter and a walk filled the bases for the home team with no outs in second. With one out, Rappoport singled off the pitcher’s glove for one run, and after Shalin popped out, Schroeder drilled a bases-clearing double to right center that hit the fence on the fly.

Rappoport contributed another RBI single in the third --- this time off the shortstop’s glove --- and the rout was on.

Consiglio pointed out that the Wildkits have done well in most of the conference series openers, but winning an actual series has seemed out of reach for his inconsistent squad.

“We’ve been dominant in the first game of every (CSL South) series we’ve played,” he said. “That’s partly because our mindset is that ‘this is our day to win.’ We need to have that mindset again for the next game. The bottom line is that you have to be able to win two consecutive games to win in the playoffs.”