Mercy! Lake Zurich Throttles Wauconda, 14-3

Outscored 15-2 in their previous two non-tournament games (a 7-1 loss to Deerfield June 30 and an 8-1 loss to Barrington July 5 in a pair of district defeats), Lake Zurich American Legion Post 964 came roaring back with a 14-3 blowout over visiting Wauconda on Wednesday in yet another important district matchup.

“We needed a big win today, going into the tournament this weekend,” said Lake Zurich manager Dan Grant, referring to the difficult four-game tournament Friday through Sunday in Eau Claire, Wis. “Wauconda is also in our district and behind us in the standings, so it was nice to get a little breathing room.”

It was a strange game. There was very little offense in the early innings, and the contest remained scoreless until Wauconda broke through with two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Catcher Ryan Fessler led off with a walk, followed by first baseman Tommy Ryan’s deep drive to the gap in right-center, which bounced over the fence for a ground-rule double, putting runners on second and third.

At this point, Grant replaced starting pitcher Adam Warkenthein with James Kosatka. Warkenthein actually pitched quite well up to the point when he was relieved; Grant pulled him to save his arm for the tournament in Eau Claire.

After Kosatka struck out third baseman Johnny Lee, second baseman Ryan O’Reilly hit a dribbler in front of the plate. It was enough to score Fessler, and because catcher Jeremy Reusch had trouble finding the handle on the ball, O’Reilly was safe at first. Designated hitter Jake Blakey then hit a sacrifice fly, driving in Ryan from third.

If Wauconda had thoughts about coming out on the sunny side of a low-scoring game, those hopes were crushed in the home half of the fourth inning, when Post 964 sent 11 players to the plate and scored eight runs on five hits. Tanner Kiser led off with a walk, followed by a double slammed into deep left-center by Reusch. Outfielder Kyle Sanders singled past first base, driving in Kiser and Reusch to briefly tie the score.

After Sanders stole second, first baseman Brian Wiest doubled to left. Luke Romanello walked to load the bases and Sanders scored seconds later on a wild pitch by Wauconda starter Dan Mooney. After pinch hitter Bobby Swanson walked to reload the bases, Mooney walked center fielder Mitch Tuthill to force in a run.

O’Reilly came in from second base to relieve Mooney and got shortstop Jacob LaRue to pop up to him for the first out of the inning. Mike Schnur then grounded to third as Romanello crossed the plate.

The hits just kept coming, as Kiser doubled to deep left to drive in Swanson and Tuthill. Jeremy Reusch then fisted a single to short left, driving in Kiser for the inning’s eighth and final run.

Wauconda scored its final run in the top of the fifth. Left fielder Matt Felicelli hit a one-out single past second, and after Fessler walked, he scored on a two-out single by Ryan. Good defense by Lake Zurich prevented any more damage. When Lee singled past second baseman Schnur, Tuthill ran in from center and threw a strike to Reusch, who made a high tag on Fessler a half-step in front of home plate. As Fessler ran in from third, he actually ran out of the baseline and opted not to slide.

Post 964 responded with another six runs in the bottom of the fifth. Wiest led off with a single past second. Romanello and Swanson both walked to load the bases. After Tuthill grounded to third to force Wiest at home, LaRue hit a three-run double. Schnur then lined a double deep to the left field corner to drive in LaRue, followed by Kiser’s two-run homer. With Lake Zurich ahead 14-3, the mercy rule was declared.

“It’s really great to go up to Eau Claire after a win like this,” said Grant. “It’s always a tough tournament, so this gives us something to build on.”

Post Script: Post 964 knocked out 11 hits against Wauconda on Wednesday. Jacob LaRue, Tanner Kiser, Jeremy Reusch, Kyle Sanders and Brian Wiest each had two, and Mike Schnur had one. Kiser had four RBIs, LaRue had three, and Sanders and Schnur had two apiece.

Kiser hit home runs in two straight games. His homer against Barrington on Tuesday accounted for the team’s only run. Lake Zurich managed just two hits against their district foes in that game. Kiser has put up monster numbers this season. Through Thursday’s game against Wauconda, he has four home runs, 24 RBIs and is hitting .451 in 51 at-bats, leading the team in all three categories. He also leads the team with 23 hits, and his six doubles tie Mitch Tuthill for the lead.

Next Up: Post 964 was scheduled to play Eau Claire at 7:30 p.m. Friday to kick off the four-game tournament. Saturday morning at 10, they’ll square off against Spooner-Hayward, followed by a 12:30 p.m. game against Green Bay. On Sunday morning, they’ll challenge Wisconsin Rapids at 11. All opponents are Wisconsin teams.