(Sugar Grove, IL.) – In the lawless American 'Old West' being armed with a Smith & Wesson brand gun was often a necessity. On Monday afternoon Waubonsee baseball head coach Alex Hales employed his own version with a Smith and Allen. Chiefs' pitchers Max Smith and Bennett Allen both tossed complete games, limiting visiting Milwaukee Area (WI.) Technical College to just two hits on the day as Waubonsee swept their doubleheader 8-0 and 4-1. Smith hurled a one-hit shutout in the opener and Allen carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of game two before surrendering a single on a grounder up the middle.
In the opener the Chiefs broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth when Donovan Williams led off with a triple into the right field corner. Aaron Klemm then smashed a double to left center to get Waubonsee on the board. Two batters later Sam Carroll smacked a grounder through the right side to score Klemm to make it 2-0 and the Chiefs never looked back. Two singles and a walk in the fifth pushed across a third run before Klemm drilled his second double of the game, this time to left field to drive in two more for a 5-0 Chiefs' lead. Carroll then blooped a two-out single to right center field to score Klemm. Smith, after walking a batter and giving up a single in the second inning, kept the Stormers' bats in check the rest of the way retiring 16 of the final 18 batters he faced. The right-hander from Aurora West High School finished with six strikeouts while walking three en route to allowing only four Milwaukee Tech base runners over seven innings. Waubonsee tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the sixth via a run-scoring single by J.P. Merlak, a double by Williams and a fielder's choice ground out by Klemm, who finished 3 for 4 with four runs batted in. Williams also went 3 for 4 while Carrol and Merlak each recorded two hits.
In game two the Chiefs got on the board in the bottom of the third when Williams laced a single through the left side of the infield to drive in Merlak who had drawn a walk earlier in the inning. Waubonsee then got all the runs it needed in the fourth by scoring three times to take a 4-0 lead. The Chiefs loaded the bases with no outs on a single and two walks and then took advantage of sloppy play by Milwaukee Tech. Waubonsee got a run on a fielder's choice ground out and another on a Stormers' fielding error, while a wild pitch plated the third run of the inning. That was more than enough support for Allen who stymied the Stormers throughout while striking out only two and walking one. The freshman from Yorkville High School was perfect through the first four innings retiring 12 in a row. The 6'3" right-hander went to a full count on Jaiden Jung, the first batter in the fifth, before walking him. Jung eventually got to third and scored the Stormers' only run on a two-out wild pitch. Allen's no-hit bid was broken up with one out in the sixth as Blake Bugher singled on a ground ball to center field. But four pitches later Bugher was thrown out stealing by Chiefs' catcher Luke Bonfiglio. Allen then set down Milwaukee Tech in the seventh capping off his one-hitter with a strikeout of Jung to end the game, facing just one batter over the minimum.
The Chiefs (9-18, 2-2) are scheduled to host Elgin Community College (7-15, 2-2) on Friday, April 10 in an Illinois Skway Collegiate Conference match-up beginning at 3:00 p.m. in Sugar Grove.
Aaron Klemm smashes a run-scoring double. The Chiefs celebrate the 8-0 game one win. Bennett Allen took a no-hiiter into the 6th inning.