In two seven-inning games at Brennan Field, the Southland Vikings (13-16) had timely hitting and impressive pitching as they beat the Will County CrackerJacks (18-11), 4-1 and 6-0.
In game one, the Vikings took the early lead thanks to a leadoff triple by Elliott Armstrong who then scored on a wild pitch. With two outs and two runners on, Alec Ornelas singled to make it 2-0 Vikings.
The CrackerJacks scored one in the second but the Vikings added two more in the fourth with a two-run single by James Dawson. Leading the way offensively was Armstrong who went 4 for 4 with two runs scored. In fact, he was a home run away from hitting for the cycle.
But the star of game one was Vikings’ starting pitcher Chris Chigas (2-0). Chigas was the winning pitcher as he went all seven innings, giving up zero earned runs on three hits while striking out two. Kyle Pomeroy (1-1) picked up the loss.
In game two, the Vikings would once again score early with an RBI single by Chris Stevens in the first inning. They would add two runs in the third as well as three in the seventh as they won 6-0.
Stevens led the way, going 3 for 4 with one run scored and four RBIs. A.J. Doyle also had a strong game as he went 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Lastly, Dan Potempa returned after missing the previous three games and finished going 2 for 2 with three runs scored.
While the Vikings offense did look good, the headline of the game, once again, was the pitching. Jonathon Rosario (2-0) pitched the first two innings where he gave up only one hit. After that, Brandon Duplessis (2-1) took over and picked up the win. He pitched five scoreless innings, allowing two hits while striking out four. Dalton Potts (0-3) received the loss for the CrackerJacks.
In fact, the Vikings pitching staff only gave up one run and six hits in the two games against the CrackerJacks who lead the Midwest Collegiate League in RBIs and runs.
The Vikings will take the next four days off for the All-Star Break while eight of the players compete in the All-Star Game at Benedictine Stadium on Wednesday. The team will return to action Friday night at Brennan Field again to take on the CrackerJacks.
