Lake Zurich American Legion Post 964 Goes 2-2 In Tournament

To a degree, Lake Zurich’s American Legion Post 964 baseball team is a continuation of Lake Zurich High School’s varsity squad, as the team is compiled largely of assorted juniors and seniors who just concluded their season. That list features Ben Gullo, one of the Bears’ top pitchers, as well as fellow hurler Mike Irgang and catcher Jeremy Reusch.

Others from the Bears team include Mark Dorfman, Tim Sayre, Mike Schnur, Eddie Szarkowicz and Mitch Tuthill, who also are teammates on the gridiron. Jacob LaRue, Mark Mulder, Collin Roto and Brian Wiest are from the Bears roster as well.

The balance of the team is players from Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein who are residents of Lake Zurich. As long as a player lives in Lake Zurich, he is eligible to play for the team. Some players from Carmel include Dan Johnsen, Tanner Kiser, Kyle Sanders, Bobby Swanson, Adam Warkenthien and Jon Zurek.

“I’m just getting to know these guys and figure out where to put them in the lineup,” said manager Dan Grant, who is in his 18^th year coaching Lake Zurich baseball at various levels. "Every year it's mostly a new group of guys."

Now in his sixth year of coaching at the American Legion level, Grant has compiled a 125-81 record (.607). He is also the only coach to win a 10^th District championship for the LZ American Legion team, a feat he accomplished in 2006, his rookie year. That resulted in Lake Zurich’s only appearance in the Second Division tournament.

The team kicked off its season with a win in last week’s Elgin Earlybird Tournament, which began June 2 and concluded June 5. Ben Gullo struck out 12 batters without yielding a walk in six innings, while giving up one run on two hits in a 4-3 win over Elmhurst. Eddie Szarkowicz picked up the save in spite of giving up two runs on two hits. Szarkowicz fanned two while walking one.  

Leadoff hitter Mitch Tuthill went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, while No. 3 hitter Mike Schnur went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Mark Dorfman, batting cleanup, also went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Mike Mulder, Kyle Sanders and Jacob LaRue also had hits, and LaRue had an RBI as well.

On Friday, in the tourney’s second contest, Northbrook scored three runs in the first inning en route to a 5-3 win, as Brian Wiest took the loss in relief of Mike Schnur. Schnur lasted just 1 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on two hits. Wiest actually pitched very effectively, allowing two runs on five hits while walking two.

Lake Zurich chipped away, as Ben Gullo and Mitch Tuthill each went 2-for-3 and while rapping out doubles. Kyle Sanders, Tanner Kiser, Dan Johnsen and Jon Zurek also had hits, and Sanders tripled. Gullo had an RBI and Kiser had two.

On Saturday, Lake in the Hills defeated Lake Zurich 7-3, as starter Adam Warkenthien took the loss, giving up five runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. Szarkowicz mopped up, yielding two runs on a hit while striking out four and walking one over the final 2 1/3 innings. Tanner Kiser was the team’s hitting star, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Kyle Sanders was 1-for-2 with two walks and two runs scored, and Dan O’Conner went 2-for-2.

On Sunday, the team exploded for a dozen runs in a 12-1 pasting of Wauconda. Mike Irgang went all five innings in an abbreviated game, giving up a run on a hit while fanning seven and walking five.

Tanner Kiser, batting in the cleanup spot, continued his torrid hitting by going 3-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a walk. Kiser had two doubles and Dan Johnsen hit a two-bagger as well. Johnsen was good for two RBIs. Leadoff hitter Mitch Tuthill was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks, two runs scored and an RBI. Bobby Swanson had an unusual game, with no official at-bats while walking twice and getting two RBIs. Jacob LaRue, batting in the nine-spot, went 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

“We played well last weekend,” said Grant. “None of the losses were terrible, and we came back on Sunday and did real well. The tournament gave me a chance to see what some of the players can do, helping me get set for the rest of the season.”

Post Script: The Lake Zurich team plays a 30-game schedule, concluding its season on July 11 against Fox Lake. Other opponents include Barrington, Deerfield, Grayslake, Gurnee, New Lenox, Libertyville and Lake Forest.

Grant’s assistant coaches include Ron Duprey, who is in his 10th season. Duprey is both the team’s third-base and outfield coach. Bob Divito is the newest member of the coaching staff, which he joined in 2009. Divito is the team’s first-base and pitching coach. He also has coached youth baseball and basketball in Lake Zurich, and played baseball at Arizona State.