By Drake Skleba

 

LEMONT -In a battle of South Suburban Conference division leaders, Lemont battled past Reavis 6-4 in a South Suburban crossover game Tuesday. Lemont went into the game co-leaders with Oak Forest and Tinley Park in the Blue Division. Lemont and Oak Forest shared the SSC-Blue Division title in 2009. Reavis entered the action with a half-game lead over Richards atop the Red Division standings.

 

Lemont junior LF/RHP Josh Ferry broke up a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the fifth when he muscled a flare into left field to score senior second baseman Mike Dvorak (3-for- 4, 2B, 2 R) with what would turn out to be the game-winner.

 

Ferry would pick up his first save of 2010 in the seventh with a lights-out performance on the mound. After being charged with an error on a come-backer to the mound, Ferry blew away the last three Ram hitters, all severely overmatched by his fastball.

 

“I just blooped the ball into left field to get the lead run in,” said Ferry. “It’s nice to get those kinds of hits once in a while. I have been pitching very well this season. It was a good win.”

 

Lemont (6-3; 3-1) put a three-spot on the board in the second inning. Junior centerfielder

Danny Lombardo ignited the Indian uprising with a booming two-run triple, scoring Ferry and senior third baseman Mark Kornacker (1-for-1; 1RBI; 1R; 2BB). Junior right fielder Trevor Murphy plated Lombardo with an RBI single and the Indians led 3-0.

 

“I was really happy with the big triple in the second inning to get us started,” said Lombardo. “This was a big conference win for us today.”

 

In the third, the Indians added another tally on an RBI single by Kornacker.

 

Reavis (9-4; 3-1) battled back with a single run  in the fourth and three in the fifth against winning pitcher, senior Kyle Cyr (5 IP, 4R, 6H, 2ER, 5K, 3BB). Senior third baseman

Dennis Beauregard singled in a run in the fifth to bring the Rams within 4-3. Senior left fielder Edgar Ledesma tied things up at 4 with a clutch two-out RBI single.

 

In the bottom half of the fifth Dvorak led off with a single. After one out senior catcher Pat Driscoll singled and set the stage for Ferry’s heroics. After Ferry singled in the lead run, Kornacker walked and Lombardo drove in a big insurance run with a groundout.

 

“This was a team win,” said Dvorak. “It feels real good to be hitting the baseball so well this year.”

 

Lemont’s junior right-hander Jeremy Santiago pitched a scoreless sixth in relief of Cyr, who improved to 2-1 on the season.

 

“We came out real well and jumped out to a 4-0 lead,” said Lemont head coach Joe Rodeghero. “Kyle pitched well for us but tired late. Jeremy Santiago got us three big outs and Josh is a special player.

 

“The bottom of our order came through for us again. Danny Lombardo had the big triple and drove in the sixth run for us. Trevor Murphy has been big for us all year.”

 

Reavis right-handed junior relief pitcher Alex Lutyi suffers the hard-luck defeat and falls to 1-1 for the Rams.

Reavis head coach Don Erickson was optimistic after the tough defeat.

 

“I am really proud of the way we battled back. We have done this all year against some of the best teams in the state,” said Erickson. “I am really optimistic about this season. I think we will be right in the race for a conference title with Richards and  Shepard this spring. We play Richards the last two games of the season; we hope they are for the conference championship.”