No. 19 SHG rallies to end Maton's perfect game, No. 17 Glenwood's conference streak

By Drake Skleba

CHATHAM - Three outs away. That?s how close No. 17 Chatham Glenwood?s Louisiana Tech University-bound RHP Phil Maton was from perfection. In the top of the seventh of this battle for Central State 8 Conference supremacy, Maton had a 1-0 lead and had retired all 18 Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin hitters in succession.

But SHG?s University of Illinois-bound 3B Mike Hurwitz led off the seventh with a line single to left, which ignited the Cyclones (11-1; 7-0) to storm past Glenwood 2-1 in an absolutely sensational game at South Park in Chatham on Wednesday.

The Cyclones? seventh-inning rally snapped Glenwood?s 40-game Central State 8 Conference winning-streak.

Junior CF Carter Pranger ripped a booming double, scoring Hurwitz, from first and we were even at 1-1.

?Maton had a wicked slider all day,? said Pranger. ?I adjusted to his breaking ball and saw a little white dot on the ball and really hit it hard. This was just a great game between two great ballclubs and it should be another great one tomorrow.?

Sophomore 1B David Jacob followed by ripping a Maton fastball to right for a double, plating Pranger and the Cyclones had the lead 2-1.

?Maton really fooled me my first two times at the plate,? said Jacob. ?It felt really good coming off the bat on the game-winning double.?

SHG head coach Mike Eck brought in his future Fighting Ilini 3B Hurwitz to the mound in relief of starting right-hander Clint Sestak (3-0). Hurwitz dispatched the Titans with a hitless seventh and No.19 SHG stood alone atop the CS8 standings.

?Maton was outstanding today and we hadn?t done anything,? said Hurwitz. ?I went up to the plate just looking to make solid contact and got the single that started our game-winning rally. On the mound in the seventh, I went out there hoping to throw strikes and let them hit it to my outstanding defense.?

In a game that looked like an ESPN Baseball Tonight ?Web Gem? highlight reel, the Cyclones and the Titans put on a show in a little more than 90 minutes. Both sides played error-less baseball and it was truly one of the best games this reporter has ever covered.

Glenwood (11-3; 8-1) scored its only run of the game in the home-half of the first. Titan leadoff man senior SS Jake Fulks took a Sestak fastball right in the head. After a small delay, Fulks stayed in the game and later scored on a booming double from Titan senior 1B Jake Lance for a 1-0 Titan lead.

The game would remain at 1-0 throughout. Maton was magnificent and Sestak matched him pitch-for-pitch. Fulks made four fine plays, two of the outstanding variety, in defense of Maton in the second and third inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Cyclone outfield put on a show. First, Cyclone freshman RF Mitch Trees made a sensational diving catch for the first out of the inning. With a Titan on first and two out, Cyclone CF Pranger duplicated Trees? effort with equally outstanding catch for the third out.

In the Titan fifth, with a man on and two outs, Cylone LF Jarrod Sergent went over the left field fence to take away a two-run homer from Lance to end the fifth and keep the Cyclones in the game.

?It was just an unbelievable game,? said Eck. ?Our defense over and over made great plays to keep us in the game. Clint (Sestak) was great on the mound and Mike Hurwitz got things going in the seventh. Carter (Pranger) and David (Jacob) had huge hits to help us pull this one out against a great pitcher.?

Maton (4-1) finished with a three-hitter and he had six strikeouts. Sestak allowed a run and gave up three hits in his outstanding performance with three strikeouts.

?I didn?t have my best stuff but my defense was outstanding,? said Sestak. ?Maton pitched an outstanding game and it was great we could come back and get the huge win.?

Junior 3B Nathan Pringle and senior 2B Dave Hudson had the two other Titan hits.

?It was a great baseball game,? said Glenwood head coach Pat Moomey. ?Tip your hat to SHG. They made tremendous defensive plays to keep them in the game. They are an athletic and talented team that went out and beat us. We have nothing to hang our heads about. We just have to come out and go get them at Chamberlain tomorrow.?

Moome was honored before the game for his Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association 2010 Class 3A Coach of the Year Award he received in February.

The two clubs will battle again on Thursday at Chamberlain Park, in Springfield at 4:30.