By Sean Duncan

ST. CHARLES - After advancing to the Elite Eight of the summer state tournament, Waubonsie Valley came into the spring with lofty expectations. But inconsistent play and a tough schedule have had the Warriors hovering around .500 so far this season – certainly not the neighborhood many thought they’d be.

On Tuesday, Waubonsie Valley showed how dangerous it can be, as the Warriors trounced No. 10 St. Charles North 22-6 in a five-inning Upstate Eight Conference game. Waubonsie Valley (5-5, 3-2) pounded out 19 hits, including three home runs, and, amazingly, all 22 runs were earned.

“Guys just felt comfortable in the box, I guess, and they just went crazy,” said Valparaiso-bound third baseman Sam Carius, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, including a two-run homer in the first inning. “This was an amazing team effort. I guess you can say we came out of our shell today.”

The Warriors didn’t waste time putting away the North Stars (9-2, 2-1), scoring 11 runs in the first two innings. Second baseman Eric Sousanes (2-for-3, 3 runs) led off the game with a double and the Warriors pushed four runs across, punctuated by Carius’ opposite-field blast. Waubonsie poured seven more in the second behind four hits and four walks.

Senior right fielder Jeff Brown (2-for-3, triple, HR, 4 RBI) delivered a three-run homer in a five-run third, and junior Ryan Vega also added a homer in the inning. Vega, a slick-fielding 5-foot-10, 160-pound shortstop, finished 3-for-3 with three runs and two big-time plays in the field. Junior outfielder Harry Vickers also went 3-for-3 with a double and four runs scored. Vickers has tallied a hit in all 10 of Waubonsie’s games this season.

In all, six starters enjoyed multi-hit days against four St. Charles North pitchers.

“Inconsistent, that’s what we’ve been,” said Waubonsie Valley coach Dan Fezzuoglio. “We’ve played some good teams, and we’ve had our ups and downs, and now we’re starting to get some momentum and swinging the bats. Hopefully we continue to swing the bats and get on a hot streak.”

Waubonsie starter Kris Singh (1-2) pitched the first two innings before he had to leave the game when he nearly ripped off his pinkie fingernail sliding into second base on his second double of the day. Brian Deal pitched the final three innings, allowing three runs, to close out the game.

Junior centerfielder Jake Bergren hit a two-run homer in the second inning for St. Charles North, while Ryan Richardson, John Brodner and Matt Stevens each added two hits. Kevin Borst (2-1) suffered his first loss of the season.