The Riverside-Brookfield baseball team won under the lights to put the finishing touches on a solid three-game series sweep of Fenton last week.
Playing at Redmond Park, home of Robert Morris College baseball, the visiting Bulldogs knocked off the Bison 7-3 in the series finale.
Senior pitcher Adam Kuta, who excelled in a relief role last season, continued to show his ability in a starting role, striking out a whopping 14 Fenton hitters in six innings. He allowed two earned runs and three hits en route to notching his second victory this spring. Leading 4-3 in the top of the seventh inning, RB (10-6, 5-1 Metro Suburban Conference) tacked on three runs to ostensibly secure the win. However, the scrappy Bison threatened in their half of the final frame, loading the bases before RB reliever Ryan Brown closed the door to earn the save. Luke Keller, Tom Leary and Alex Spirios had two hits apiece for the Bulldogs, who collected nine hits total for the game.
In Game 2 of the conference series, RB sophomore pitcher Will Kincanon yielded two earned runs and four hits in six efficient innings as the Bulldogs earned a 6-4 victory. Scott and Keller paced the offense with two hits and two RBIs apiece, while CJ Duffek and Kincanon also collected a pair of hits each. Matt Quintana came on in the seventh inning for the save, his fourth of the season.
Unbeaten junior Alex Nenadovic set the tone for RB against Fenton in a 4-1 victory on April 10. Nenadovic improved to 4-0 on the season, tossing a two-hitter with one unearned run in six innings. He struggled a bit with control, issuing six walks but battled his way to victory. Ryan Brown earned the save. Keller knocked in two runs and Spirios slapped two singles as the Bulldogs tallied seven hits.
The Bulldogs’ lone loss last week was a 7-1 setback against area rival Nazareth, one of the best teams in the Chicagoland area. The Roadrunners completed their mini two-game nonconference series sweep of RB, fueled by a strong pitching effort from Dominic Purpura (3-0), who gave up no runs but two hits over four innings. Mike Stromberg went 2-for-2 with a double and RBI for Nazareth.
RB starter Quintana turned in a decent effort on the mound against the formidable Roadrunners, allowing four earned runs and six hits over four frames. Andy Suzuki and Joe Mulhern both had a pair of hits for the Bulldogs.
At 5-1 in the league, RB looks to continue their march toward hopefully a Metro Suburban Conference championship with another important three-game series, this time against Elmwood Park. RB hosts the Tigers on Wednesday and then travels to Elmwood Park on Thursday to complete the series. First pitch for all three games is 4:30.
On Saturday, RB visits Wheaton North for a nonconference doubleheader starting at 10 a.m.
