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After experiencing a game one filled with excitement, the boys from DuPage had nothing to be excited about during game two, as they were shut out 6-0. The storyline of the night centered on Lexington’s pitchers who surrendered just five hits to the Hounds while striking out a whopping 14 batters. Other than thier dormant offense, DuPage’s defense was top-notch and their pitching was not bad by any means, they were just bitten by two bad innings late in the game. The bright side for the Hounds heading into game three of the MCL Championship series is that the contest will be back in their home park in Lemont where they have won almost all of their matchups in 2015. Also, the Hounds have scored a combined total of 29 runs at home throughout the playoffs, so shutting out the Hounds for game three would seem nearly impossible.

 

For the fifth-straight playoff game in a row, Zac Taylor led it off atop the Hounds’ order where he went one for three with a single. Trent Carrier reached base twice after drawing a walk and smacking a single.

 

Joe Duncan continues his playoff dominance as he went two for four in the ballgame with a single and a double. His playoff average now stands at an impressive .429 through five games. Billy Hayes rounded out the Hounds’ five hits after going one for three with an infield single. Finally, Bobby Wenthe reached base once in his three attempts via the walk.

 

Joe Palasiewicz was handed the ball to start game two and his overall solid day was marred by just one down inning. Palasiewicz went six strong innings in which he gave up two runs on five hits while striking out four. The two runs he surrendered did not come until his sixth and final inning of work. Then the Snipes broke it open after facing reliever Preston Miracle who gave up four runs on three hits in the seventh. Finally, the quietly dominant Bobby Wenthe came on to throw the eighth where he allowed no runs on no hits while striking out two. 

 

For the Snipes, Jared McCunn reached base three times on a walk, a single and a double. Tyler Horchem led the team in RBIs with two after going one for two with a single and a sac fly. Deion Thompson went one for five with a RBI double. Chris Maranto, Cale Robinson and Jason Priest all reached base twice on a walk and a single. Tanner Russell reached base twice after being hit by pitches. He also drove in a run on a sac fly. Neal Tyrell rounded out the Snipes eight hits after going one for five with a single.

 

As mentioned earlier, the main factor in this game was the dominance of Lexington’s pitching, which came mainly from starting pitcher Reid Birlingmair. Birlingmair has tormented Hounds’ batters for the entirety of 2015 and Thursday’s ballgame was no exception. He threw eight innings in which he allowed no runs on four hits while striking out twelve. Jake Sale came on for the ninth and picked up right where his starter left off, allowing no runs on just one hit while striking out two in his one inning of work.

 

The third and final game of the MCL Championship Series will take place Friday, August 7th at 5:00 PM (CT) at the Lemont High School Sports Complex. With the series tied at 1-1, the winner of that ballgame will finally be able to take home the MCL crown.