Prep Baseball Report

No. 24 Richards holds off St. Ignatius rally



By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

CHICAGO – No. 24 Richards fought through dense traffic, arrived a half-hour late to St. Ignatius’ field, and dug itself a quick two-run deficit before the Bulldogs knew what hit them.

Then they woke up.

Richards erupted for six runs in the third, mounted a 13-2 lead, and then held on to defeat St. Ignatius 13-11 in a nonconference game Tuesday afternoon.

While Richards (24-6) were the beneficiaries of some shoddy St. Ignatius (10-20) defense, the Bulldogs barreled the baseball all game long. Senior catcher Charlie Zeschke punctuated Richards’ five-run fifth inning with a three-run homer to left field. Zeschke, a Roosevelt recruit, also singled and drove in four runs.

Junior first baseman Noel Castro added a pair of hits, including a two-run double in the fourth inning, and also walked, and senior centerfielder Eric Mallo went 3-for-4 with two runs. Senior third baseman Nate Natividad walked four times and scored three runs, and starting pitcher, senior left-hander Ryan Thompson (6-1), ignited the six-run third inning with a leadoff double.

St. Ignatius rallied when Thompson left the game to make it interesting. Sophomore Geno Callahan hit a home run in the rally, and he also had a sac fly in the first inning. Sophomore Scott Cappis delivered a two-run double in the fifth, and sophomore right fielder Dylan Gilbert finished 2-for-3 with a two-run double and a walk.

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