CSP Suburban Life • mysuburbanlife.com • Friday, May 9, 2014 • NWD
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SPORTS
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Panthers pounce on Glenbard East By SCOTT SCHMID sschmid@shawmedia.com LOMBARD – With the pitching staff Glenbard North’s baseball team possesses, an early lead is music to the Panthers’ ears. On Tuesday, the squad scored five runs in the top of the first inning, and Luke Greenberg made those stand up in an eventual 5-3 win against Glenbard East, completing North’s sweep of the DuPage Valley Conference series dating back to last week. Matt Albin’s two-run double got the visitors on the board, and Chris Murray later drove in two runs with a single as Glenbard North sent 10 batters to the plate. “We got the leadoff guy on base and got a couple of hits and took advantage of their mistakes in the first inning,” Glenbard North coach Rich Smelko said. “We just have to keep putting pressure on teams for seven innings.” Greenberg yielded six hits and a walk in a complete-game effort, striking out five and allowing no earned run. He worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the seventh inning by inducing a game-ending double play. “Luke is a good pitcher though he hasn’t had many opportunities to start,” Smelko said. “He works fast and throws strikes. We like what Luke does on the mound.” The Panthers were coming off a DVC series win against West Aurora which saw them win two games, capped by Monday’s 9-4 win. Eric Orze pitched five innings to record the victory while Nolan Jasinski, Gary Santos, Murray and Sam Ledbetter all had multiple hits. In the middle game of the series, Glenbard North dropped a
Glenbard North 5, Glenbard East 3 GLENBARD NORTH TOP PERFORMERS • Sam Ledbetter: 2-for-3, R, RBI • Matt Albin: 1-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI • Chris Murray: 1-for-3, 2 RBI • Luke Greenberg: 7 IP, 0 ER, 5 K
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Glenbard North’s Sam Ledbetter attempts a bunt during an April 30 game against Glenbard East. The Panthers capped a three-game sweep of the Rams with a 5-3 win Tuesday. 5-4 decision Saturday. Ledbetter was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Orze, Greenberg and Alex Barrett had two hits apiece. A day earlier, the Panthers beat West Aurora 3-1 as Matt Albin struck out 10 in
a complete-game pitching effort. Barrett had a triple and two RBIs to lead the offense. Glenbard North was set to begin a three game set Thursday against conference leader Naperville Central, with the
Panthers heading into action two games back in the loss column. The series continues today in Carol Stream before wrapping up Saturday. “Naperville Central is good,” Smelko said. “They’ve got a
great lineup one through nine. We have to be on our ‘A’ game. “Like I’ve said all year, we just have to string a couple of hits together because we know we are going to get really good pitching from our guys.”