All Ryne Shroff wanted to do was make contact with the ball.

With one out in the eighth inning and the go-ahead run on first base, the Wheaton North catcher was given the signal for a hit and run play to try and give his team the lead over St. Charles East.

And as soon as he saw the pitch, he knew he could execute what his coach wanted. He just didn’t know how far he’d send the ball.

“I knew I had to swing at something and I got a curveball in the zone,” Shroff said. “It’s always about turning the page and getting that next at-bat. Getting into close games like that, big players make big-time plays.”

Shroff would send the pitch over the left-field wall for a go-ahead two-run home run, his first of the season, to help the Falcons secure a 5-2 victory on the road over the Saints.

“It feels good to get that first home run,” Shroff said, “but I’m more happy with the dub that we came out with.”

Jacob Johnson added some insurance just two batters after the go-ahead homer, hitting a solo shot to right field for his third hit of the day to give the Falcons (9-12 overall, 3-5 DuKane) the three-run advantage.

“Those were both big hits, but getting a third run with East’s middle of the order coming up was huge,” Falcons coach Dan Schoessling said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to wait it out, and eventually we got the big hit.”

It wasn’t the first time that Shroff came up big in the batters box. Trailing 2-0 in the third inning, the sophomore hit an RBI single to put the Falcons on the board, one of four consecutive hits in the inning. Jacob Kurtz tied the game at 2-2 with a run-scoring base knock of his own.

“That top of the third was huge for us, especially after giving up two that previous frame,” Shroff said. “I think that was huge for keeping us in the game.”

After the third inning it became a pitcher’s duel, with the Falcons being represented by Zander Zielinski on the mound. The senior went seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out three in the win.

“I just wanted to do my job out there and not think about it too much,” Zielinski said. “It’s just about having the mentality of not thinking about it too much. Let the moment happen and not get caught up in it.”

The Clarkson commit had his best stuff come after the third inning. He sat nine batters down in a row between the third and fifth innings, and allowed just one hit before getting pulled by the pitch count.

“I just wanted to attack first-pitch and get ahead on the first pitch,” Zielinski said. “I just wanted to get ahead with whatever I threw, keep guys off balance and miss some barrels.”

The Saints (14-5, 6-2), who had their seven-game winning streak snapped with the loss, struggled after the Falcons tied the game again in the third inning. Tyler Phillips would have the only hit outside of the second inning for East, beating out an infield single to start the sixth inning, while Dylan McCabe drew two walks, including one in the eighth inning before getting out in a game-ending double play.

“That was just a heck of a pitcher’s duel,” Saints coach Derek Sutor said. “Their starter just kept us off balance and our guys just had a hard time staying back on his stuff.”

The Saints got the lead initially in the bottom of the second after stringing together four consecutive hits, which included an RBI double from Niko Nahmistrovs and an RBI single from Phillips.

“Base runners were at a premium, and getting guys on there was huge,” Sutor said. “We had our opportunities, but we just couldn’t string those hits together. So we just tip the cap and hope to win the series.”