Shamrocks Top Elmwood Park and Glenbrook South
April 7, 2008

When the weather finally broke last week, the Saint Patrick Shamrock baseball team was ready to go. The Shamrocks shrugged off a two-week layoff with a win over Elmwood Park on April 2 and a doubleheader sweep of Glenbrook South on April 5.

Against Elmwood Park, the Shamrocks got a solid outing from starting pitcher Brian Konopka, who went four innings, but the Tigers held a 2-0 lead heading into the sixth inning. In the sixth center fielder Matt Hansen turned the game around with a long three-run homer to left field, which gave Saint Patrick a 3-2 lead. Eddie Ortiz scored an insurance run on a wild pitch in the seventh inning. Junior pitcher Ryan Moskal picked up his first varsity win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, and sophomore Joey Igyarto struck out all four batters he faced to earn his first save.

Igyarto picked up right where he left off on Saturday, dominating Glenbrook South. Igyarto pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts, while allowing only four hits and one unearned run in a 2-1 win. Lenny Cunzalo knocked in D.J. Stern, who had doubled, with a base hit to tie the game in the fifth inning. Mike Draniczarek started the winning rally with a walk. Danny Geraghty pinch-ran for Draniczarek, and Igyarto’s sacrifice bunt moved him over to second base, setting the table for Ortiz, who came through with a game –winning single.

The first game against Glenbrook South was a pitcher’s duel, but the second one was a shootout. Saint Patrick jumped on the Spartans early with a five-run second inning, but sophomore Eric Jenkins couldn’t hold the lead, allowing five runs in three innings of work. The Shamrocks kept chipping away, scoring in every inning on their way to a 13-11 victory. Moskal pitched 2 1/3 innings in relief of Jenkins to pick up his second win, and Konopka pitched the seventh inning for the save. Hansen led the offense for the Shamrocks with a pair of hits, including his second home run, and a pair of runs batted in. Geraghty, Ortiz and Draniczarek each had two hits, and Draniczarek drove in a pair of runs.

The Shamrocks face Gordon Tech and Niles North in non-conference games this week, before beginning East Suburban Catholic Conference play with a doubleheader at Marist on Saturday.