By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

NAPERVILLE, IL – Minnesota-bound right-hander Cody Campbell is known for his power arm on the mound. But on Saturday, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Campbell also used his bat to help No. 7 Naperville Central squeak by No. 27 Clemente, 4-3, in eight innings.

Campbell, who pitched three innings of relief to earn the victory, delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth inning to score Jimmy Nashert. The victory over a talented Clemente (2-1) club improved the Redhawks to 2-1 on this weather-shortened season.

“The coaches have worked a lot with me,” said Campbell, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. “My timing was all messed up. They’ve helped with my timing and I’m a lot more comfortable this season.”

Clemente tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the seventh on senior left fielder David Matthews’ opposite-field double to left field off of Campbell – the only hit he would allow. In three innings work, Campbell struck out three with no walks, yielding one hit and no earned runs. His fastball in his first inning sat between 86-88 mph, touching 89 once. Campbell, who threw all fastballs, was 84-86 in the second and third innings, working entirely out of the stretch.

Naperville Central starting right-hander Zach Aranoff baffled Clemente’s offense for much of his five innings work. The slender right-hander carried a perfect game into the fifth before junior right fielder Mizraim Fuentes opened the inning with a single up the middle. Aranoff fed Clemente a steady diet of 64-66 mph slurves and 80-82 fastballs to strike out 10 with one walk. He yielded two hits in the fifth and allowed no earned runs.

“I was pleased with Zach Aranoff,” said Naperville Central coach Mike Stock. “He bounced back from a tough outing against (No. 1-ranked) Lyons Township. … Zach has a great knack for throwing three pitches for strikes.”

Naperville Central’s middle of the order delivered most of its offense. Nashert went 3-for-4 – all singles, including one to lead off the eighth, in which he eventually scored the game-winner. Left-handed hitting Jeff Schank, a Butler-bound LHP/1B, went 3-for-4 with a double in the second inning. And Campbell had two hits.

Senior 3B Matt McBain also had two hits and senior 2B Jeff Lucas had a run-scoring double in the fourth to give Naperville Central a 2-0 advantage.

Clemente starting pitcher, senior left-hander Joey Marciano, threw well in his first outing of the season. The physical 6-foot-3 John A. Logan JC recruit worked 84-86 mph with his fastball and showed occasionally his big 12/6 breaking ball, a pitch that had such depth at times the umpire didn’t know what to do with it. That is, except call it a ball. Marciano, who’s ranked No. 31 in Illinois’ 2013 class, worked 4.1 innings despite getting hammering on his left arm by a Shank line drive up the middle in the third inning. Marciano struck out three, walked three and yielded seven hits.

David Matthews did most of the damage for Clemente. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound unsigned senior is an impressive athletic specimen. He had two of Clemente’s three hits on the day, and drove in all three runs. His two-run single in the fifth tied the game at 2-2, and his opposite-field double in the fifth tied the game at 3-3.

“It was a great game,” said Clemente coach Nelson Perez. “The kids were a little nervous, you could tell from the opening bell. … You can tell that Naperville Central is one of the top teams in the state.”