By Drake Skleba

 

LIBERTYVILLE ? Illinois Route 176 runs parallel to the left field fence at Libertyville High School. With the score tied at 4-4 in a fierce North Suburban League Lake battle, No.1 Mundelein junior pinch-hitter Isaac Aleman stepped to the plate with two out and fellow classmate Torr Randau, who had singled, on first base.

 

Aleman made Mundelein head coach Todd Parola look like a genius when Aleman crushed a fastball from Libertyville senior reliever Nate Carlson and it landed somewhere on Route 176. The two-run shot would be the game-winner as top-ranked Mundelein survived a serious challenge from Libertyville, winning 6-4 in 10 thrilling innings.

 

?I went up to the plate looking for a fastball to drive and I got it,? said Aleman. ?Libertyville is our rival and it was a great win. To be 20-0 and ranked No.1 in the state is a great feeling.? 

 

Watching his junior pinch-hitter deluxe?s blast from the third base coach?s box, Parola showed off his 35-inch vertical jump, leaping for joy as the 5-foot-9, 225-pound Aleman slowly circled the bases.

 

?It was a great situation for Isaac (Aleman),? said Parola. ?Isaac got a real good swing on it and it was a pretty good feeling watching the ball go over the fence.?

 

Libertyville did not go quietly in the bottom of the 10^th. With the crowd from both sides screaming, the Wildcats loaded the bases with no outs against Mundelein 6-foot-3 junior LHP Ryan Borucki (5-0). Borucki, who was working in his fourth scoreless inning of relief, faced Wildcat freshman catcher Evan Skoug (3-for-5, 2B).

 

Skoug, who had been the player of the game up to that point, was swinging for the fences, in hopes of getting ?a little Route 176 action,? too. Borucki induced the fantastic frosh to pop out to third for the first out of the inning. Wildcat senior 3B Robbie Dittman was next and hit a hard grounder to Mustang second baseman Austin Ozag, who fired a strike to shortstop Chris Maranto for the force and Maranto?s throw to first baseman Luis Carrasco, to complete the game-ending twin-killing. 

 

?It was a great battle between two great rivals,? said Borucki. ?Both teams played great and we were fortunate to come out with the win thanks to Isaac. It was really scary in the 10^th. Austin and Chris saved me with the great double-play.?

 

Libertyville (11-8; 3-3) scored a pair of runs against Mundelein?s Valparaiso University-bound RHP Ben Mahar. Mahar?s throwing error on a pick-off attempt at second plated the first Wildcat run and then the second tally came home on a wild pitch.

 

The Wildcats tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth. Wildcat senior 1B Dar Townsend had an RBI double and Dittman plated a run with a sac-fly.

 

Mundelein (20-0; 6-0) scored four times, all after two out in the top of the fifth. Mustang senior 3B Nick Gastfield had a huge two-run single and senior C Billy McMahon followed with an RBI single. The Mustangs tied it on a Wildcat miscue on a ball hit by Randau.

 

?I was really wondering how we would respond to the 4-0 deficit,? Parola added. ?We haven?t been behind all year so it was great to see us get those clutch hits to get back in the ballgame.?