HOLLANDALE - The team concept is irreplaceable in prep sports. After Tuesday's 4-1 Six Rivers East baseball victory over Black Hawk, Pecatonica coach Jim Strommen had no illusions over how the Eastern battle was won.
"Lee Vlasak was the difference in the game," Strommen said. "He and (catcher) Drew Moen were on the same page all game, and Lee was certainly the storyline for us."
That's because the hard-throwing junior notched 16 of the 21 outs with strikeouts. Vlasak fanned the first six batters faced, wriggled off the hook in the fourth inning, and set down the final nine he saw, eight of them via strikeout.
The Vikings were touched up for a run in the fourth, but Vlasak worked out of a second and third, no-out jam by striking out the next two batters and inducing a harmless groundout.
Given the circumstances, Black Hawk senior Alex Abraham fared just as valiantly. The Warriors' ace badly jammed his left thumb early in the game but duked it out to go the distance.
Vlasak added a pair of hits and his Vikings took an early 3-0 lead after two.
Pecatonica hosts Monticello on Thursday evening, while Black Hawk heads for Albany.
HIGHLAND 22, ARGYLE 13
Even with just four hits to their credit, the Orioles held a 13-11 lead in the fourth inning before the Cardinals flew off with a win.
Argyle put up seven runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead, despite not collecting a hit in the frame. But a botched force play at the plate in the ensuing Highland half of the fifth allowed Highland to answer with six runs.
The Cardinals collected 24 hits and starter Dustin Laufenberg got a no-decision before freshman Kyle Rose took over with one down in the fourth and allowed just one hit to get the "W."
Darlington visits Argyle on Thursday for a non-conference game.
"Lee Vlasak was the difference in the game," Strommen said. "He and (catcher) Drew Moen were on the same page all game, and Lee was certainly the storyline for us."
That's because the hard-throwing junior notched 16 of the 21 outs with strikeouts. Vlasak fanned the first six batters faced, wriggled off the hook in the fourth inning, and set down the final nine he saw, eight of them via strikeout.
The Vikings were touched up for a run in the fourth, but Vlasak worked out of a second and third, no-out jam by striking out the next two batters and inducing a harmless groundout.
Given the circumstances, Black Hawk senior Alex Abraham fared just as valiantly. The Warriors' ace badly jammed his left thumb early in the game but duked it out to go the distance.
Vlasak added a pair of hits and his Vikings took an early 3-0 lead after two.
Pecatonica hosts Monticello on Thursday evening, while Black Hawk heads for Albany.
HIGHLAND 22, ARGYLE 13
Even with just four hits to their credit, the Orioles held a 13-11 lead in the fourth inning before the Cardinals flew off with a win.
Argyle put up seven runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead, despite not collecting a hit in the frame. But a botched force play at the plate in the ensuing Highland half of the fifth allowed Highland to answer with six runs.
The Cardinals collected 24 hits and starter Dustin Laufenberg got a no-decision before freshman Kyle Rose took over with one down in the fourth and allowed just one hit to get the "W."
Darlington visits Argyle on Thursday for a non-conference game.
