Minooka Rallies in Seventh to Edge Lincoln-Way West 4-3

Despite an explosive three-run first inning highlighted by a Michael Pettit home run, the Lincoln-Way West varsity baseball team could not hold off a late surge from Minooka, falling 4-3 in a non-conference home game on Friday.

The Warriors came out swinging in the opening frame. After Minooka scratched across an unearned run in the top half of the first, Lincoln-Way West immediately responded. Pettit delivered the big blow, launching a two-run homer to put the Warriors in front. Jackson Mansker acted as a relentless sparkplug atop the lineup, going a perfect 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored while stealing two bases to keep the pressure on the Minooka defense.

Jacob Howard took the mound to start for Lincoln-Way West and worked effectively through early traffic. He pitched three innings, allowing two unearned runs on two hits while striking out three and walking four. Reliever Owen Chudzinski came on to pitch the middle frames, striking out four over 3.2 innings of work. Minooka chipped away at the 3-1 deficit with a run in the fourth before staging a decisive two-run rally in the top of the seventh to take the lead. Chudzinski was charged with the tough-luck loss, while Emmett Carlson entered to secure the final out of the seventh with a strikeout.

Following their first-inning outburst, the Lincoln-Way West bats were kept in check for the remainder of the afternoon. The Warriors consistently put the ball in play, tallying seven hits—including doubles from Howard, Carson Paulas, and Luke Tyrakowski—but struggled to find the clutch hit they needed late in the game, ultimately leaving five men on base as Minooka completed the comeback.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• First Inning:

  • Minooka opens the scoring with 1 unearned run.

  • Lincoln-Way West answers with 3 runs, highlighted by a Michael Pettit two-run home run.

• Fourth Inning:

  • Minooka scores 1 run to cut the deficit to 3-2.

• Seventh Inning:

  • Minooka plates 2 runs to take a 4-3 lead.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Lincoln-Way West: M. Pettit (1-4, HR, 2 RBI, 1 R); J. Mansker (2-2, 1 BB, 1 R); J. Howard (2-3, 2B); C. Paulas (1-3, 2B, 1 R); L. Tyrakowski (1-3, 2B); Q. Lange (0-2); O. Weber (0-3).

PITCHING:

• Lincoln-Way West: J. Howard (3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 65 Pitches); O. Chudzinski (L, 3.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 60 Pitches); E. Carlson (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 5 Pitches).

BASERUNNING:

• Lincoln-Way West: SB – J. Mansker (2).