Lockport’s Anthony Farina stymies Lincoln-Way West

LOCKPORT – One might think sending a sophomore pitcher in to face a potent Lincoln-Way West lineup would be a recipe for disaster.

But all sophomores aren’t built like Lockport sophomore Anthony Farina.

The Porter ace was dominant over five-plus innings on Monday afternoon allowing just four hits to lay the foundation for a 5-1 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory for the Porters.

“He’s been that way all year,” Lockport coach Scott Malinowski said. “We get that out of him basically every start. For a sophomore kid to have that poise and that competitiveness. It’s very rare.”

Farina’s effort only hit a few slight road bumps. After Lockport (18-9, 7-5) put two runs on the board with only an infield hit to spark it, Lincoln-Way West (20-7, 9-5) got a two-out single from Quinten Lange after the Warriors loaded the bases on a walk and two hit batsmen.

But after a leadoff double from Michael Pettit in the Lincoln-Way West third, Farina went into lockdown mode. He retired 11 batters in a row after that double and seemed completely at ease with a Lincoln-Way West squad that has put a collective hurting on many a pitcher this season.

“I just felt like I had to get ahead. Throw first pitch strikes,” Farina said. “I mean, these guys are good, they are good hitters. But I know my stuff and I’m going to go out there and do my thing. Change up the deliveries and stuff like that.”

That ability to keep Lincoln-Way off-balance lasted until the sixth inning when back-to-back hits from Anthony Vita and Ian Hazelip led to a call to the bullpen. Austin Winge came in and recorded a strikeout to squelch that threat and a scoreless seventh inning around two walks to secure the save and a pivotal conference win along with it.

“I’ll take it,” Malinowski said. “This is obviously a solid team and we had a nice week last week, winning four out of five. I just hope these games help our players to believe in themselves.”

Lockport’s offensive attack wasn’t robust, but it was effective. The Porters first two runs were generated with only an infield hit fueling the attack and no ball left the infield.

Lockport scratched out another run in the fifth when Joey Delponte’s leadoff double netted a run as the Porters used the bunt successfully to allow him to come home on Joey Flood’s RBI.

The Porters added some insurance in their half of the sixth inning as Nick Moerman swatted a two-run homer.

“That’s kind of how we play offense,” Malinowski said. “I think it was a big thing for us to score first and more than one run. I think that just helped us relax and play a little bit looser and with more confidence.”