By Drake Skleba

 

GALESBURG - You know it?s your day when one of the best pitchers in Illinois fires a no-hitter at you and you still somehow still win the game. You really know it?s your day when the miracle 1-0 victory gives you your 13^th Western Big Six Conference championship in school history.

 

Thursday was that day for No. 14 Moline, as the Maroons swept No. 13 Galesburg, 6-2 and 1-0, in a doubleheader that featured top-level pitching prospects at Jim Sundburg Stadium.

 

Moline (25-2; 10-0) and Galesburg (22-6; 8-2) both came into Thursday?s showdown with identical 8-0 conference marks. Western Big Six Conference historians agreed that never in the history of the conference had two 8-0 teams met in the final conference-ending championship doubleheader.

 

In game two, Galesburg?s Western Illinois University-bound right-hander Nick Milligan (7-2) did not yield a hit but allowed an unearned run in the third. The lone run scored on of all things, a balk. Moline?s senior RHP Ryan Archer (8-0) scattered seven hits and Maroon senior Kyle Lewis, fired 2/3 innings of shutout relief, to combine for the conference championship clinching shutout.

 

?This was just awesome. Big doubleheader. Huge crowd in an awesome facility. I just couldn?t ask for anything better,? said Archer

 

Game One

Moline 6, Galesburg 2

With a half-dozen MLB scouts on hand, the first game pitching matchup between future teammates at Western Illinois University, brought the MLB people loaded with their radar guns. Moline?s Seth Fuller and Galesburg?s Ty Farrell will be teammates in Macomb in September.

For the first three innings, we had a double no-hitter in progress. Both pitchers were lighting up the radar guns in the 87-89 mph range. Just what the doctor ordered for the huge crowd that had gathered at Sundburg.

 

Moline broke through against Farrell in the fourth. Maroon senior C Derek Osborne doubled to lead off the inning. More from Osborne later. Junior 3B Timmy Wages followed with an RBI single, scoring courtesy runner Andy Rangel.

 

?It was a huge victory for us,? said Wages. ?In the beginning we were just trying to get on against a great pitcher. I had the RBI opportunity in the fourth and it worked it out for me.?

 

In the fifth, with two on and two out, Osborne hit a three-run bomb over the right-centerfield fence and Fuller had a 4-0 lead.

 

?We came out hard today,? said Osborne. ?I thought I did really well at the plate after struggling on Monday.?

 

Through five, Fuller still was working on his no-no and had faced the minimum 15 hitters, due to a 6-4-3 double-play in the third inning, erasing the only Silver Streak base runner Fuller had allowed, who reached on an error.

 

Moline tacked on a pair of runs in the seventh, highlighted by an RBI double from Maroon senior RF Eric Ashcraft.

 

In the seventh, Fuller lost his no-hit bid when junior Luke Ryan singled. The single broke an 11-inning hitless streak for Fuller. Fuller fired a five-inning perfect game at East Moline on Saturday. Galesburg?s all-time leading hitsmaker, Zach McCrery, drove home two Streak runs with a single, and Fuller (8-1) would finish up with a two-hitter. Only one of the Galesburg runs was earned and he struck out six.

 

?Two great teams,? said Fuller. ?We played well and I did a good job on the mound. I pounded the strike zone and battled. I wasn?t upset when I lost the no-hitter in the seventh. I just focused on winning the game.?

 

?Seth (Fuller) was as good as advertised,? said Moline coach Derek Lindauer. ?Timmy (Wages) and Drew (Osborne) came up with clutch hits for us. That?s what Timmy and Drew do.?

 

Farrell (8-1), who allowed five runs in his complete-game performance, suffered his first loss of 2011. Farrell struck out eight.

 

Game Two

Moline 1, Galesburg 0

Another awesome pitching matchup ensued between Galesburg?s WIU-bound RHP Nick Milligan (7-2) and Olivet-Nazarene University-bound Ryan Archer (8-0) for Moline.

 

In the early innings Milligan, was lighting up the guns in the 89-91 mph range, while Archer was in the 84-86 range, touching 87.

 

In the bottom of the second, Milligan (3-for-3) and McCrery (2-for-3) singled to lead off the inning. Silver Streak junior Seth Morling, with runners on first and third, hit a grounder to short for a force and appeared to have driven in the lead run. After a brief discussion the umpires ruled McCrery out at second for interfering with shortstop Emilio Alonzo and Milligan had to return to third base, taking away the Silver Streak run. The umpire?s ruling appeared to be questionable, but that was the kind of day it was for Galesburg. Archer retired the next Streak hitter to get out of the inning unblemished.

 

In the next half inning, the top of the third, more Maroon magic occurred. After one out, junior LF Parker Jasper walked, went to second on an errant pickoff play by Milligan, and to third on a deep fly to right by Ashcraft. Galesburg intentionally walked Osborne. With junior Tim Wages at the plate, the Maroons attempted the old walk-off play, with courtesy runner Rangel breaking toward second base. Jasper appeared to make a break toward home, which caused Milligan to balk in Jasper with the lone run of the game.

 

Milligan was absolutely amazing in his effort. He completely dominated the Maroon hitters, as he was still hitting 91mph in the seventh inning. Milligan would complete his no-hitter in the top of the seventh. The run he allowed was unearned and he fanned 10.

 

In the bottom of the seventh, Archer picked up the first out of the inning and then gave up a single to Silver Streak senior RF Brock Bush. Moline head coach Derek Lindauer went to his pen and brought in senior Kyle Lewis from 1B. Lewis induced Chris Fields to hit a roller to Maroon Alonzo at shortstop, who flipped to junior 2B Jake Frost for the force at second, and Frost threw a strike to first for the WB6 championship twin-killing.

 

?This is a great feeling being conference champs,? said Lewis. ?I?m not a big strikeout pitcher so I have to go in and get ground balls. Emilio made a great play on the double play to help us win the game.?

 

The no-hitter was Milligan?s first in his career.

 

?I thought we would get some runs,? said Milligan. ?I really made a mistake on the balk. I pitched well but ??

 

Moline will open up Class 4A regional play at Quincy against the host Blue Devils on May 25 at 4 p.m..

 

?Never been no-hit before and win a conference title,? said Lindauer. ?Ryan (Acher) was outstanding for us and Kyle (Lewis) did what he does best for us.?

 

Galesburg will play in the Class 3A Geneseo Regional against the host Maple Leafs May 25 at 5.

 

?I believe we are going to hit and with our pitching we can make a serious run in the Class 3A tournament,? said Galesburg head coach Arnie Gonzales.