Finishing kick: Glenbard East baseball sees better results heading to postseason

LOMBARD – Every team tries to peak at the end of the season and Glenbard East baseball might just be pulling that elusive feat off.

The Rams won their final three DuPage Valley Conference series, taking two out of three against Naperville North, Lake Park and Wheaton Warrenville South to finish 9-12 in the DVC.

After winning the first series of the season against West Aurora, the Rams went 1-7 in the next eight conference games. With the postseason right around the corner, Glenbard East is hoping to keep its recent roll going.

"We've showed we can come back and battle," senior pitcher Anthony Esterly said. "It's always nice to get hot going into the playoffs. We just got to keep this intensity up."

Esterly pitched a shut out in the opening game of the series against Wheaton Warrenville South on Monday. He struck out seven and allowed just three hits in a 6-0 win.

Tyler Behrendt, who was 2-for-2 with two walks on Monday, was the star of the day Tuesday. He blasted a three-run home run to tie the game in the fifth inning and was 2-for-4 with two runs scored in a 7-5 win against the Tigers.

"He's seeing the ball well, but it's not just Tyler," coach Joel Pelland said. "It's been a bunch of guys that have come through with timely hits and sacrifices when we needed to have them. Just doing a good job of situational hitting and moving guys."

Wheaton Warrenville South won the series finale 5-2 in Lombard on Wednesday. The Tigers scored all five runs in the second inning and held off a late rally from the Rams.

Despite Wednesday's loss the Rams have received a confidence boost with the recent series wins.

"We've been able to play this way the whole year, it's just in the beginning series things didn't go our way, but now they are," senior Tommy Mogavero said. "We're hitting the ball better. The weather's warming up so it's easier to hit the ball now."

Next up for the Rams is the playoff opener, a regional quarterfinal at home against Conant on Monday. East beat the Cougars 6-0 on April 8.

"They're by no means a team that you can overlook," Pelland said. "They've beaten some pretty good teams this year on their schedule, so even though we beat them early in the year it really doesn't matter."

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East series against WWS

Game 1: Rams won 6-0

• Anthony Esterly: 7 IP, 7 K, 1 BB, 5 H

• Tyler Behrendt: 2-for-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB

• Jimmy Milligan: 2-for-4, RBI, R

• Tommy Mogavero: 2-for-4, R

Game 2: Rams won 7-5

• Behrendt: 2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

• Scott Borosak: 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB

• Jimmy MacDonald: 6.1 IP, 3 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 7 H

Game 3: Rams lost 5-2

• Joey Moore: 1-for-3, 2B, R

• Ryan Shefske: 1-for-1, 2 BB

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