Daniel J. Mancuso
IVN staff
(Photos courtesy of Jamie Drake for the Illinois Valley News)
Illinois Valley High School baseball team delivered a commanding performance this past week, sweeping Glendale in a decisive three-game series. The team’s stellar offense and dominant pitching secured victories in all three matchups.
April 15 in Glendale the Cougs scored a resounding 19 runs to Glendale’s 3.
Braedan Laproa earned the victory on the mound, while the offense exploded. Zach Dugas led the charge, going 4-5 with two doubles. Kegan Russell contributed significantly, going 3-5 with two doubles of his own. Lapora chipped in with a double, going 1-2, and Mason Richardson added another double, going 3-5. “Glendale is a good club, just young,” said IVHS head coach Jese Dugas, adding, “It will be interesting to watch them the next few years.”
The Cougs came home to play Glendale again April 18 for a double header. The home team hitmen bested Glendale 13 to 1.
Bryson Gilmore delivered a masterful performance, pitching a no-hitter for IVHS. Gilmore struck out 12 Glendale batters and walked 3. The lone run scored against him was the result of an error. The IVHS offense backed Gilmore with 14 hits, including a 3-3 performance from Talen Schaffer, who had a double and a triple. Gilmore threw 85 pitches in the dominant victory.
The second game of the double header found a similar outcome with IVHS on op 13 to 3.
Richardson continued the pitching dominance for IVHS, throwing a fantastic game with 9 strikeouts and only one walk, totaling 83 pitches. The IVHS offense once again proved too much for Glendale. Dugas went 3-3 with a double and a triple, while Russell blasted a two-run home run, going 2-2. Ethan Green added a double, and Richardson went 2-2. The team racked up another 13 hits in the game. “Boys had a really good series,” the coach commented. “It will be tougher this week.” IVHS now faces a challenging week with four games scheduled: a home game that was held against Bonanza April 22, another home game against 3A 9th-ranked Brookings Harbor on April 23 and two more games against Bonanza at Bonanza on April 25.
Currently ranked 4th in the state for 2A and in first place in their league, IVHS is halfway through their league schedule. A pivotal week lies ahead as they look to maintain their momentum.