Herscher sweeps baseball, softball games against Kankakee

KANKAKEE − It was a chilly and windy afternoon in Kankakee on Friday, but the Herscher baseball and softball teams' bats were hot.

The Herscher baseball team erupted in the second and third innings to beat the Kays 19-4 in three innings, taking the win in its season opener and sending the Kays to 0-2 on the year.

On the adjacent softball field, the Tigers pulled ahead early and held on to down Kankakee 16-6 in six innings, improving to 2-0 on the year while handing the Kays a loss in their season opener.

Tigers open baseball season with blowout win

After the Tigers and Kays went scoreless in the first inning, Herscher came out swinging in the second.

The Tigers scored nine runs in the inning to set them in the right direction for a big win. With 10 more in the third, they stayed on track.

Payten Young got the win on the mound and also led the way offensively by going 3 for 4 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Tanner Jones was 1 for 3 with with a three-run home run. Alec Nicholos also had three RBIs for the Tigers and Keegan Andre added two.

Coming off a 23-14 season that featured a sectional title, Herscher brings back a well-tested core of players. Coach Eric Regez said this experience should be beneficial.

“Unlike the last few years, we’re coming in with a little more experience, which is always something special as a coach,” he said. “We returned most of our guys from last year’s sectional championship team, so it’s always good as a coach to have that experience at the table so you can take your team and expand on the things you work on. If you’re already at a certain level, you can try to bump up to the next level.”

For Kankakee, Bryce Arceneaux and Aidan Liddell both went 2 for 2 and scored a run, with Liddell also adding an RBI. Noah Hileman drove in a run, as did Eli Stipp with a double.

After nearly getting no-hit to open the season opener Tuesday, Kankakee coach Nick Crowe said the improvement offensively was nice to see. In his first season leading the program after serving as pitching coach last year, he also felt the game was a step toward finding the culture he hopes to build.

“Something that was really big for me, being a first-year head coach here, and my coaching staff that I brought along, is we want to build a professional culture,” he said. “Our attitudes from last year to this year, it’s been a big improvement this year and it’s something we’re going to continue to work on throughout the year.”

Big innings bookend softball win for Herscher

The Tigers came out firing on all cylinders. They sent 14 batters to the plate in the first inning and scored nine runs before Kankakee even stepped to the plate.

The Kays got a run back in the bottom of the first, and then five more across in the third and fourth innings to cut Herscher’s lead to 11-6 entering the fifth, but the Tigers pulled away with five runs in the top of the sixth to seal the win.

Herscher coach Mike Cann said he has liked the early results from his team.

“We’re building,” he said. “Graduation, like with most high school teams, hit us pretty hard. I’m really proud of the way this team has started. We’ve been hitting the ball, fielding the ball, running the bases, timely hitting … and the pitching staff is off to a good start.”

Keira Ahramovich finished the game 2 for 3 with a walk, three runs scored and seven RBIs, thanks to a grand slam in the first inning and a bases-clearing double in the sixth. Anistin Hackley was 4 for 5 with three RBIs and RyLyn Adams was 3 for 4 with a walk and four runs scored.

For Kankakee, Kylie Glogowski and Adleigh Cunningham recorded two RBIs apiece while Calleigh Moody worked a pair of walks, scored three runs and stole three bases.

Kankakee coach LaDesha Nelson said she was happy with her team’s effort to open the season as they gained valuable experience.

“I have a lot of newbies, I have starters that have never played softball before that experienced their first high school softball game,” she said. “Ultimately, I think that my team did not let off the gas that entire game. Yeah, we had a bad inning, but overall I think we did very well. We’re moving in the right direction.”