Gillis' 2-Run Double Lifts Spartans over Minooka

It was the ultimate day of redemption for Matt Gillis. The Romeoville center fielder celebrated his 18th birthday in grand style after a second-inning miscue cost the Spartans a run against visiting Minooka in Southwest Prairie baseball action Tuesday afternoon.

But with the bases juiced and the Spartans deadlocked with the Indians in the bottom of the fifth inning, Gillis delivered. The senior roped a shot down the third-base line to score Kyle Lenihan and Casey Moll to secure the Spartans’ 7-5 come-from-behind victory.

Anthony Gladstone, making his first appearance of the season, shut down Minooka over the final five innings to record the pitching decision for Romeoville (7-10, 5-7).

“There’s no reason to drop the ball,” Gillis said of the routine fly he muffed in the second to conclude the Indians’ three-run outburst. But with the game in the balance, Gillis redeemed his defensive blunder with the bases-loaded double.

“I was just looking to put the ball in play with the bases loaded,” Gillis said. “It was a good win against a top-ranked, quality pitcher.”

Minooka southpaw Josh Jimenez was seeking to extend his personal winning streak over the last two seasons to 18. The Indians staked their ace to a 2-0 first-inning lead, but Romeoville struck for a three-spot in its half.

Vidal Gonzalez and Justin Hurdle set the table by reaching for the Spartans in the first two slots.

Lenihan singled through the hole between short and third to plate Gonzalez, and Jordan Pemble provided Romeoville its first lead with a two-run double to right center one batter after Casey Moll laid down a textbook sacrifice bunt.

“I was just sort of looking for a fastball,” Pemble said. But the Spartans’ lead would not last for long.

Back-to-back Minooka extra-base hits and Gillis’ miscue plated three runs for the perennial power in the top of the second. To make matters worse for Romeoville, Jimenez found his groove, recording four of his 12 strikeouts in succession.

Gladstone, however, would be equally penurious with his five shutout innings following the Indians’ 5-3 second-inning lead.

“When you play so many days in a row, you better have a deep (pitching) staff,” Smith said. “The main thing with (Gladstone) was he was throwing strikes, getting ahead in the count.”

Romeoville finished with seven hits on the day, and the fateful four-run rally in the fifth began in earnest with Gonzalez and Hurdle reaching on consecutive one-out singles. The two would cross home plate to tie the game at 5-5 on a wild pitch and infield error, respectively.

The comeback was critical for Romeoville, whose 7-10 record is markedly deceiving.

“Six of our losses have come by one run,” Smith said.