Baseball: Cockrell, Plainfield Central turn tables on Minooka

MINOOKA – Kyle Cockrell supplied the understatement.

“Baseball is a funny game,” he said. “I just had a feeling that would happen.”

Cockrell pitched 62/3 innings Tuesday in Plainfield Central’s 2-1 Southwest Prairie Conference victory over Minooka. Nate Yusko relieved to get the final out, but it would not be easy.

Jon Butler, whose grand slam home run highlighted the Indians’ 12-1 five-inning victory over the Wildcats last Thursday, was at the plate. Hayden Laczynski, the last batter Cockrell faced, singled to left-center field to keep the bottom of the seventh alive.

Yusko’s first pitch went to the backstop, moving Laczynski into scoring position. Then on a 2-1 pitch, Butler grounded out to Cockrell, who was stationed at second base after being removed from the mound.

“I’ve played a lot of baseball, and somehow things like that happen,” Cockrell said.

Central (17-6, 6-4) thus evened the series and kept Minooka (14-8, 6-4) from gaining a share of first place in the wild SPC race as Plainfield North on Tuesday knocked off Oswego East, which had been in first by its lonesome.

“Kyle threw his butt off, didn’t he?” Wildcats coach John Rosner said. “He had good stuff.

“It was good for us to get back at them after the way we lost to them a few days ago. After that game, you just tip your cap to them, and you get out there and win the next day.”

On a chilly afternoon with the win blowing in from left-center field, Cockrell and Minooka left-hander Tyler Talbot were locked in a pitchers’ duel from the get-go. Central left two runners on base in the first inning, three in the third and had a runner picked off first by Indians catcher Nick Airola after a leadoff single in the fourth, thus negating a potentially good inning.

Butler flared a double to left field with one out in the bottom of the first, and Minooka stranded two runners in the fourth.

Both teams got on the board in the fifth, and both had help.

After having a runner called out at third on an attempted sacrifice, Cockrell flied to short left field with runners on first and second and one out. Minooka’s Jackson Shepherd tried to double the runner, Nick Heffernan, off second but threw high. By the time right fielder Luke Faifer retrieved the ball in foul territory, Heffernan had come around to score.

“We had a tough time throwing the ball,” Minooka coach Jeff Petrovic said. “What did we have, four throwing errors? We did not have our best defensive day.

“Tyler [Talbot] would be the first one to admit he did not have his best stuff, but he was able to battle. But we didn’t help him, either.”

In the bottom of the fifth, Grant Olsen singled pinch-hitting for Antonio Milazzo, and Milazzo returned to run and stole second. With two outs, Butler grounded a ball to deep second base. Alex Santiago bobbled it only slightly, but that was enough to allow Milazzo to score and tie it, 1-1.

Central scored the game’s only earned run in the sixth when Rocky Pascente walked, Yusko sacrificed and Nate Haupt lined a single to right to knock in courtesy runner Connor Simnitch.

“My first two at-bats weren’t good,” Yusko said of two popups. “I knew I had to drive the baseball. He [Talbot] gave me an outside curve and I was able to handle it.

“Kyle [Cockrell] was amazing. Everyone in this conference is equal. For us, it all comes down to how we do on the field, how we show up to play.”

“When I started warming up, I could feel it was going to go pretty well,” Cockrell said. “Our guys made solid contact all day, and Nate [Haupt] did an excellent job getting that big hit. We can trust him to come through.”

Cockrell said the wind worked in his favor on the mound.

“Rocky [Pascente] did a great job behind the plate, blocking pitches, and coach [Pat] Hanley did a great job calling pitches,” he said.

Minooka finished with six hits, two by Cole Alstott. Central had five.

“Like we were saying before the game, anyone can beat you on any given day in this conference,” Petrovic said. “It was a difficult offensive day, and their guy [Cockrell] did a terrific job. He hit spots, stayed down and hit the corners.”

“This was a great victory for us, and we’re in the same sectional, so we may see these guys again,” Rosner said.