Moore, Benet KOs Hinsdale South

Updated: May 28, 2011 11:22PM

Hinsdale South’s top pitcher during the regular season didn’t have that same crispness in the postseason.

The Hornets were scheduled to open the Class 4A playoffs Wednesday, but recent rain showers delayed that start until Saturday. The long layoff could have created some rust for Hinsdale South.

Benet struck early and often as the ninth-seeded Redwings won 12-0 in five innings in its own regional semifinal. The seventh-seeded Hornets (18-15) lost five consecutive games to end the season and managed only four hits off Benet pitchers Chris Sanderson and Mike Grzetic.

Sanderson, the winning pitcher, gave up a single to leadoff hitter Sean Beasley to start the first inning and another single to Kirk Wells in the third. All seven of Sanderson’s strikeouts came against the first 10 batters he faced. He did not allow a walk.

The Redwings (18-18) hammered Hornets ace Tyler Langosch (5-3), who gave up seven runs and eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.

“We didn’t do anything well for five innings today,” Hinsdale South coach Kraig Conyer said. “[Langosch] left the ball up and I thought they hit the ball hard.”

Shortstop Nick Moore gave Benet an 11-0 lead with a grand slam in the top of the fifth off reliever Russ Danielson. It was Moore’s first grand slam of his career and his fourth homer on the season.

Benet won both meetings against the Hornets during the season. The Redwings also won 6-4 on April 1 in Lisle in the third game of the season.

The only inning Benet did not score was the first, but leadoff hitter R.J. Gatto opened the game by drilling Langosch’s first pitch to right field for a double.

The Hornets never really threatened despite getting the leadoff hitter on base in four different innings. In the third, Wells slipped on his way back to first base on Sean Beesley’s drop-third strikeout and Wells was tagged out by first baseman Zac Lewinski on an unusual double play to end the inning.

In the fifth, Hinsdale South’s Mitch Duckhorn and Nick Saracco opened the inning with back-to-back singles, but could not advance further. The game, and his career, ended when senior second baseman Eric Burger grounded into a double play.

“We played good at times, but at the end of the year we struggled,” Conyer said. “We should have been more competitive. We definitely didn’t peak at the end.”

The Hornets finished a surprising second in the West Suburban Gold, even placing ahead of preseason favorite Downers South. Hinsdale South also doubled its win total from last year.

Hinsdale South loses five starting seniors -- Langosch, Saracco, Wells, Burger and outfielder Chris Massimillian. Relievers Danielson and Andy Nkansah also made their final appearances. Nkansah was a starting pitcher during the season, but came in to get the last two outs in the game.

The final out of the season recorded by the Hornets was a diving catch by the left-handed Langosch in left field, who snagged Matt Dorsett’s sinking liner down the line. Langosch sprinted to the foul line and slid head first to snare the ball with his right hand.

“We had a lot of competitors in this group who have worked in the program,” Conyer said. “They’ve worked hard. They’ve shown great leadership by example.”

The Hornets played for the first time in seven days in the playoffs. Hinsdale South’s final games of the regular season was a doubleheader loss to visiting Sandburg on May 21.

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