By Sean Duncan

 

GURNEE – Stevenson’s Kyle Ruchim will look you square in the eye and tell you he’s not a pitcher. You believe him because he seems trustworthy and honest and in fact says it with unblinking conviction.

 

That’s fine, take his word for it. But ask anyone in the packed crowd for Monday’s North Suburban Lake first-place showdown – or Warren hitters for that matter – and they would certainly tell you differently.

 

Ruchim not only can pitch, he was nearly unhittable while leading No. 4 Stevenson to a 4-0 victory over No. 9 Warren. The win clinched Stevenson (26-3, 9-2) at least a share of the conference crown with the two teams squaring off again Tuesday.

 

Ruchim (4-2), who’s signed at Northwestern University as a shortstop, struck out nine, walked none and had his no-hitter ruined in the fifth on a questionable infield single. Warren (25-7, 8-3), which added a harmless single in the seventh, advanced to second base only once.

 

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound right-hander had his three-pitch repertoire in full command, including a consistent 87-89 mph fastball throughout the entire contest. What’s more, Ruchim went 2-for-4 with a home run to lead off the sixth inning.

 

“I don’t look at myself necessarily as a pitcher,” said Ruchim. “I do it to help the team. If it helps the team, I do it. … This was big. I know for this group of seniors, we wanted to go out strong. I wanted to get the conference championship.”

 

Stevenson coach Paul Mazzuca said he massaged the rotation early last week so Ruchim would pitch at Warren in the opener of this critical two-game series.

 

“Kyle wanted this game,” Mazzuca said. “He knows what it’s like to pitch against quality teams on the road.”

 

Senior second baseman Teddy Heiser gave all the support Ruchim would need in the second inning with a two-run homer against Warren’s ace left-hander Zach Schneider (8-2).

 

“I thought that broke the ice,” Mazzuca said. “In the beginning, I thought both sides were pretty tight. I think the pitching had a lot to do with it, but that definitely broke the ice for us.”

 

Said Ruchim of Heiser’s fifth home run of the season: “It was great to get that weight off my back, because I wasn’t expecting to shut them out.”

 

The Patriots added two more in the sixth when Ruchim led off the inning with a home run and Erick King (1-for-2, two runs) scored on a throwing error.

 

Stevenson’s offense only mustered six hits against Schneider, who struck out six and walked four in 6 2/3 innings. Warren dropped its third straight game heading into Tuesday’s rematch.

 

“The bottom line is you’ve got to take your hat off to [Ruchim],” said Warren coach Clint Smothers. “He’s a player. He’s a player on the mound, at shortstop, at the plate. He’s going to have a lot of success at the next level.”