MUNDELEIN, IL - No. 18 Mundelein hosted rival Stevenson in an early season North Suburban conference matchup on Tuesday afternoon. Stevenson made a late push in the final three innings but Mundelein fought back and came away with a 10-7 win, improving to 8-2 on the season.

This spring weather has been anything but cooperative so far this season. The cold weather has not allowed teams to play or practice outside consistently and it showed on Tuesday. In a game that saw 17 runs scored there were a combined total of eight hits. Free bases were a theme throughout with a total of eight errors, 13 walks (two intentional) and six hit-by-pitches.

The Mustangs of Mundelein were cruising until starting pitcher Steven Sanchez left the game after four innings. Trailing 6-0, Stevenson came alive with two runs in the top of the fifth and then five more in the top of the sixth to take an unexpected 7-6 lead. The two runs Stevenson scored in the fifth inning came without a hit. Ryan McElhinny lined out to left field for a sacrifice fly in the frame. In the five run sixth inning, Mike D’Angelo, McElhinny and Evan Kiah each collected RBI singles for the Patriots of Stevenson.

In the bottom half of the sixth inning, Mundelein answered with four runs of their own and took a 10-7 lead. The Mustangs scored the four runs without a lone hit in the frame. They turned to small ball after the leadoff hitter, Mason Schaller walked, bunting three consecutive times with the first two resulting in misplays defensively.

Sanchez, the Mundelein starter and Arkansas commit, was not as crisp as we have seen him in the past but he was certainly effective. The hulking 6-foot-8, left-hander went a total of four innings, allowing one hit, no runs, striking out seven and walking two. Sanchez used a steady fastball/curveball mix to keep the Stevenson hitters off balance throughout.

Mundelein staked Sanchez to an early 6-0 lead after three but were not able to hold onto it to give Sanchez the win. The Mustangs scored four runs in the first, one in the second and one in the third. Schaller had the big hit in the first inning, a two-out bases-clearing triple. Jared Dorfman doubled down the left-field line and scored in the second inning.

Schaller and Dorfman doubled and had two hits to lead the way offensively for Mundelein.

Mundelein and Stevenson will match up again tomorrow, April 11th at Stevenson.

For more in-depth notes from the game - and all other games that we cover - visit the Illinois Scout Blog later.

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