Momence splits home baseball, softball games with Peotone

MOMENCE − Things did not start on the best note for the Momence baseball team at home on Friday. Peotone’s first eight runners reached base, and the Blue Devils were up 5-0 before an out was recorded.

But a strikeout and double play ended the Peotone threat, and the next six runs scored in the game went to Momence. Peotone managed to tie things up 6-6, but Momence was able to pull away for a 15-8 win to improve to 2-3 on the season. Peotone fell to 2-2 with the loss.

“The key word here is resiliency,” Momence head coach Joseph Baud said. “This is the second time this year that we’ve gotten down big in the first inning and have come back and won.”

That first game came on Wednesday against Central when Momence 6-3 after the first inning and went on to win 8-7. In that game, sophomore Kingston Wood came in to pitch seven innings of relief, allowing just three runs.

On Friday, it was freshman Greyson Cantwell who came in to throw four stellar innings, allowing just two hits and two runs to go with 11 strikeouts. He relieved Caden Wiechec, who managed to finish strong after the rough first inning.

“Our young guys are coming in in high leverage situations and dealing,” Baud said. “I also want to give some kudos to our starting pitcher who struggled a little in the beginning, trying to find the strike zone. After the first inning, giving up the five, he gave up nothing through the next two. That was really big for us to get us those innings.”

Cantwell also produced at the plate, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs. Brogan Halpin, Sam Fitzgerald and Jackson Ford each had two hits for Momence.

For Peotone, Tyler Leitelt was 2 for 5 with an RBI and two runs while Ruben Velasco was 2 for 3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs. The two also hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning.

“Today was not our day,” Peotone head coach Teddy Baffes said. “We came out hot, but we didn’t execute when we needed to. It’s got to be something that we need to learn from going into conference starting Monday. The only thing that’s got to happen is we go out there and we compete like we do each and every day.”

Klawitter racks up more K’s against Momence

Peotone junior Sophie Klawitter has been off to a hot start this season. She tossed four perfect innings on Friday, striking out 11 of the 12 batters she faced, as the Blue Devil picked up a 17-0 win.

Peotone improved to 2-1 with the win while Momence dropped to 0-3.

Klawitter has pitched all 18 innings on the season for Peotone, allowing just seven hits and six runs, three of which have been earned, while recording 42 strikeouts.

“She works 24/7,” Peotone head coach Kim Pagliarulo said. “This is her life. She’s already committed to Louisville as a junior, she’s a top-notch athlete, she works really hard, but she’s a fantastic player as well.”

Peotone piled on 17 hits in Friday’s win and were able to take advantage of defensive mistakes by Momence, including seven errors, with some of the more aggressive baserunning Pagliarulo said the team has been focusing on.

“We’ve been working on a lot that we were able to showcase today,” she said. “It’s always so nice to work in practice and see it live. Our bunting, our push bunting, being aggressive on baserunning, our hits were nice. We’ve been working a ton on hitting.”

Caelan Farmer and Ava Kosmos both went 3 for 4 for Peotone, with Farmer recording four RBIs and three runs and Kosmos having one RBI and three runs. Klawitter, Jillian Roark, Maddie Scheffers, Payton Schnelle and Abigail Christenberry all had two hits apiece.

Momence pitcher Peyton Lynch allowed just three extra base hits to go with five strikeouts. Eight of her 16 runs allowed were earned runs.

“We’ve got to be able to play behind out pitcher,” Momence head coach Calynn Toberman said. “She threw a pretty good game herself, commanding the circle, and we just didn’t have her back out in the field.

For a young Momence team still looking to find its footing early on, Toberman said that, win or lose, just gaining experience at this point in the season is a positive heading forward.

“For some of them it’s their first time playing at this level, so just being able to compete at this level and being in this game inning by inning is exactly what they need,” she said.