Baseball: Prairie Ridge lets lead slip away in loss to Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST – The frustration in the voice of Prairie Ridge coach Glen Pecoraro was palpable.

Moments after his team’s 7-6 nonconference loss to Lake Forest on Saturday morning, which saw his team squander a five-run lead, he reflected on what he’d just witnessed.

“I don’t take losing well,” Pecoraro said after the Wolves’ record fell to 10-17-1 this season. “So I’m struggling with that this year. We’ve always been a winning program.

“The difficult thing for me is, if you look, we’ve been in every single game this year. I’m not kidding. And we’ve had an early lead in almost every game we’ve played recently.”

“I don’t take losing well. So I’m struggling with that this year.”

—  Glen Pecoraro, Prairie Ridge baseball coach

Things were no different against the Scouts (16-8), who entered the game batting .300 as a team.

The Wolves attacked left-handed Lake Forest freshman starting pitcher Callum Morrison early, scoring three times in the top of the first.

Leadoff hitter Brennan Coyle (1 for 3, walk, stolen base) singled sharply to right to open the game, followed by a single from Karson Stiefer.

No. 3 hitter Tyler Vasey was then hit by a pitch. All three would score, thanks to an RBI hit-by-pitch from Conner Pollasky and a two-out, two-run single off the bat of Edward Burseth.

Just like that, Wolves’ sophomore starter Danny Savas was staked to an early 3-0 advantage before he’d thrown a pitch.

Prairie Ridge added a fourth run in the second inning thanks to Stiefer’s RBI single. But the Scouts responded with their first run of the morning in their half of the third.

Lake Forest leadoff hitter and Holy Cross commit Gianni Royer (2 for 3, walk) singled, then stole second. An errant pickoff throw by Savas rolled into center field, followed by a second overthrow from the outfield, allowing Royer to score.

After extending their lead to 5-1 in the top half of the fourth, Wolves right fielder Mason McKim robbed the Scouts of extra bases.

His brilliant sliding catch while running full speed to his left, to open the bottom of the fourth, helped propel the Wolves into the fifth inning with momentum. That’s when they extended their lead to 6-1, courtesy of Joseph Stanish’s RBI single.

At that point in the game, McKim was the only Wolves starter who hadn’t reached base safely.

“Laying out for your pitcher, or making sliding catches does wonders for a pitcher’s confidence,” McKim said. “They’re momentum-killers. Especially if there are runners on base.”

McKim would later reach base on a single, making him the ninth Prairie Ridge starter to reach safely.

But trouble was brewing on the horizon for the Wolves, who watched Lake Forest strand five baserunners through the first four innings.

The Wolves’ luck ran out in the fifth, as the Scouts scored five times, sending 10 batters to the plate.

Lake Forest No. 2 hitter Ryan Valentincic kicked off the frame with a bases loaded single. That was followed by two more RBI singles, plus a bases loaded walk, tying the game, 6-6.

“There was a bloop hit, then two ground balls that made it through the infield in that inning,” Pecoraro said.

“A few feet over here or there, and it’s a routine inning and not one where the floodgates open. That’s baseball. Credit to Lake Forest’s kids. They got the job done.”

It was a job the Scouts helped themselves finish in the bottom of the 6th. A Luca Royer leadoff double, then RBI single from Sam Larson, broke the tie and was the game-winner.

All nine Lake Forest batters also reached base safely Saturday.

Scouts lefty reliever Luke Joseph gave up a single and walk in the 7th but ended the game with a strikeout to pick up the save.

He hasn’t allowed a run out of the bullpen all season.

“He’s our Swiss Army Knife,” Scouts coach Ray Del Fava said. “Also, I meant to tell Glen [Pecoraro] after the game. His guys communicate really well on the field. Their team is definitely better than their record on paper.

“The game didn’t go their way, but he’s been coaching as long as he has for a reason. They’ll bounce back.”