By Sean Duncan

GURNEE – The North Suburban Lake has quietly become one of the state’s toughest conferences in recent years. Currently, four teams are ranked in the Prep Baseball Report’s top 20, two of which are in the top 10.

Two of the ranked teams squared off on Tuesday, and the result was a prime example as to why the North Suburban Lake has been so tough: pitching. No. 10 Warren received a five-hit gem from Zach Schneider to edge No. 15 Mundelein 2-1.

After walking the first batter of the game, Schneider settled down to strike out six, walk one and he didn’t allow a typically strong-hitting Mundelein (13-3, 3-2) team to advance to third base until the seventh inning. The only run Mundelein scored was unearned in the seventh inning. The 5-foot-11 senior left-hander improved to 5-1 on the season while Warren moved to 15-2, 3-0 in the North Suburban Lake, a game ahead of No. 2 Stevenson and No. 13 Libertyville.

  “I felt very composed out there,” said Schneider, who is signed at Webster University. “My fastball was moving away on righties pretty well and I was able to locate my pitches. That was a good win for us. It’s good to come out and get that win.”

As well as Schneider pitched, it got a little hairy in the top of the seventh when Mundelein senior catcher Matt Risdon (2-for-3) reached on an error to lead off the inning. Mundelein starting pitcher Ben Mahar followed with a single, then another error on a failed double-play turn led to a Mustangs run. With a runner on second base and one out, Schneider bore down and got a strike out and a tapper back to the mound to secure the win.

“We had a couple of mental mistakes in the seventh,” said Schneider. “I just had to settle down, relax, and throw strikes.”

Mahar (3-1), a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior right-hander, also did his part to make this a classic pitchers’ duel. Mahar allowed seven hits and struck out six with two walks. Mahar, who has been one of the biggest risers this spring, held his 85-88 mph velocity throughout the game.

 

 Warren tallied four of its hits in the third inning, when the Blue Devils pushed both their runs across. Tim Bodine (2-for-3), Scott Heelan (1-for-2) and Kevin Colburn all singled to load the bases, then junior first baseman Mike Herrmann delivered the game-winning two-run single.

 

“Both pitchers deserved to win that game,” said Mundelein coach Todd Parola. “But the bottom line was we didn’t hit the ball well enough to win the game.”

 

Charlie Gandolfi went 2-for-2 with a walk for Mundelein.