Baseball: Lincoln-Way East tames Minooka

Updated: March 26, 2012 7:34PM

On a cool afternoon with the wind blowing in, solid defense and timely hitting proved to be the difference behind Lincoln-Way East pitcher Mark Chemello in a 5-1 win over visiting Minooka.

Chemello was staked to a 2-0 first-inning lead as Evan Bloomfield and Brandon Bollman hit consecutive two-out RBI singles in the first, scoring Brandon Witt and pinch-runner Yoshi Haynie, respectively.

The Griffins (2-2) added two insurance runs in the fifth when Bloomfield knocked in Witt and Dylan Pinto. Bloomfield was thrown out trying to take second, but the damage was done by the count of a 4-0 East lead.

“We knew our bats would come around eventually,” Chemello (1-1) said. “Our defense was they key. It’s easier to pitch when you know you have a good defense behind you.”

Chemello gave up a run and fanned six over 6 1/3 innings. He pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the third and another in the sixth, limiting the damage to one Minooka run on an RBI groundout by Dane Colvin.

Coming off a big 7-0 win Saturday over Providence, Minooka (2-3) stranded eight baserunners vs. East.

“They got hits when they needed them and we didn’t,” Minooka coach Jeff Petrovic said. “It was a tough hitters day, and they got the momentum early with those first two runs. When they added two more, it really changed the dynamic of the game.”

With Chemello in control of his pitches, the Griffins remained sharp in the field and didn’t commit an error.

“With our defense, we tell all of our pitchers to go after opposing hitters,” East coach Paul Babcock said. “Chemello got ahead in the count, and we got some big hits when we needed them. That was the difference in the game.”

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