Baseball | St. Rita goes 4-1 over five-day stretch of games
By Steve Millar
Correspondent
Ryder Johnson knows his role in St. Rita’s offense.
Hitting in the leadoff spot, the senior outfielder looks to wreak havoc and put pressure on the opposing defense.
“With my speed, being at the top, it’s my job to get on base and start rallies,” Johnson said. “I scratch and claw to do whatever I can to get on base.”
Johnson gave the Mustangs a major spark against Providence on April 18, producing a key bunt single. and showing off his legs with a triple. It all helped add up to a 7-1 win for visiting St. Rita in a Catholic League Blue game.
“The greatest compliment you can give any baseball player is that he’s ‘a baseball player,’ and that’s what Ryder is,” St. Rita coach John Nee said. “Here’s another guy that doesn’t have any (college recruiting) ratings, but I know he’s a baseball player and I’ll go to battle with him any day of the week.”
Junior Louie Sisto dominated on the mound for the Mustangs (16-4, 8-1), allowing one earned run on six hits over six innings for the win. He struck out nine and did not issue a walk.
Illinois State recruit Sir Jamison Jones finished 2-for-4 with an RBI double for St. Rita. Tommy Atkinson had an RBI single and Omar Alday scored two runs.
Ohio State recruit Ryan Hussey started on the mound for Providence (15-2, 6-1) and struck out eight through a scoreless first four innings.
The Mustangs broke through in the fifth, starting with Sisto and Alday drawing back-to-back walks in the bottom two spots of the lineup.
That set the stage for Johnson, who dropped down a bunt single. Hussey tried to throw Johnson out at first, but his throw sailed high, allowing the first run of the game to score.
“Coach gave me a bunt sign before it and I popped it up,” Johnson said. “I was like, ‘I better get this one down.’”
Johnson continued to use his speed to put pressure on the Celtics, stealing home on a double steal later in the inning as St. Rita added three more runs.
Johnson’s RBI triple highlighted a three-run seventh inning as St. Rita pulled away.
“We’ve been on a good winning streak here,” Johnson said. “We know that we’re good. But beating a good team like this really boosts our confidence and we’re ready to keep the train going.”
Sisto, meanwhile, shut down a Providence offense that had been on fire, scoring 28 runs in its previous game against Lockport.
“Louie was great,” Nee said. “He’s a gutty kid. We feel good about him on the mound. He’s been really solid for us. We know what kind of pitcher we have with him. A lot of people like to measure based on velocity and everything, we measure based on heart. That’s what he’s got.
“He’s proven himself. When you can go on the road and hold a team like this to one run, that’s obviously huge.”
The win was the sixth in a row for the Mustangs, who stretched the streak to seven with a 10-2 win over Leo on April 19. Timmy O’Connell went 3-for-4 with two runs and Haron Abuelhija earned the victory on the mound, allowing two earned runs in five innings.
Providence struck back for some revenge April 20 in a 10-2 decision, but the Mustangs responded with a 6-2 win April 21 over Fenwick. Joey Smith went 2-for-4 with an RBI against the Friars, while Noah Robinson took the win with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
St. Rita capped the week with a 7-5 road win over rival Mount Carmel on April 22. Atkinson was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs. Chris McGrath held the Caravan to three earned runs on just one hit in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win.
2 Comments
Local News
FOP officials share Chicago policing concerns with UBAM
Two Fraternal Order of Police officials from Clearing shared insights about law enforcement at the state and local level at the Oct. 9 United Business Association of Midway meeting. Tamara Cummings, general counsel for the Illinois FOP, and John Catanzara, president of the Chicago FOP (Lodge 7)—former classmates at St. Rene School—were the guest speakers…
Chicago Sky, Bedford Park break ground on $38 million practice facility
It was a groundbreaking event on Oct. 9, as more than 200 people gathered at the future site of Phase 2 of the Wintrust Sports Complex at 65th Street and Central Avenue in Bedford Park. The Chicago Sky, in partnership with the Village of Bedford Park, broke ground on a new $38 million state-of-the-art practice…
Final repair cafe of the year Oct. 19 for Lyons Township
The Township of Lyons will host its final repair café of the year from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, at the township hall, 6404 Joliet Road. You can bring a wide range of household items in for repairs free of charge, Township Clerk Elyse Hoffenberg said during the township board meeting Oct.…
Forest View loses 2 officials in sudden resignations, mayor ‘saddened’
On Oct. 8, the Forest View village board meeting took a surprising turn when two key officials resigned during a portion of the meeting that was closed to the public. Forest View Administrator Michael Dropka submitted his resignation to trustees who met behind closed doors to discuss an “employee personnel matter,” according to the meeting…
Football notebook: Marko Franco gives Back of the Yards a boost
Mark Morgan had a plan when he took over as Back of the Yards football coach in the fall of 2021. The Bobcats hadn’t fielded a team in two years, skipping the spring 2021 pandemic season. Getting the program back on its feet took some heavy lifting. Back of the Yards went 1-7 and 2-7…
Postseason roundup: Nazareth boys, girls both advance to state golf
Nazareth boys golf coach Dave Reed didn’t see this coming. A sectional championship? That happened only twice in school history, in 2009 and 2013. Plus, the Roadrunners had not qualified for state as a team since 2019. Heading into this season, there were no sectional expectations. During regional play, the Roadrunners grabbed the last sectional…
Area sports report: SXU football dominates Defiance
St. Xavier’s football team fell to a season-low 20th place in the NAIA national rankings and has a long climb to get back into the top 10 again. The Cougars took the first step on the first play of their Oct. 12 game as Mario Price took the opening kickoff and ran 77 yards. He…
Pro soccer report: Red Stars clinch playoff spot; Fire names new coach
If the Red Stars had their choice, they would rather have beaten Gotham on Sept. 12 to secure a spot in the National Women’s Soccer League playoffs. Instead, the Red Stars suffered a 2-0 loss to the defending NWSL champions at SeatGeek Stadium, and 24 hours later clinched a spot in the playoffs when Washington…
Neighbors
Jury deadlocks, mistrial declared in case of ex-AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – A federal judge on Thursday declared a mistrial after a jury deadlocked in their deliberations over whether former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza bribed longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan via a no-work contract for the speaker’s political ally. After nearly 15 hours of deliberation…
High court: Smell of burnt cannabis is not cause for warrantless vehicle search
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Law enforcement officers in Illinois cannot rely on the smell of burnt cannabis alone to justify searching a vehicle without a warrant, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. The decision was unanimous, though Justice Lisa Holder White did not take part in it. Writing for the court,…
State wraps up case in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A federal judge invoked images from the 1917 race riots in East St. Louis, Illinois, on Thursday at the end of a trial in a case challenging the constitutionality of the state’s ban on assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines. Judge Steven McGlynn, who has…
Gun expert says assault weapons ban ‘describes the most popular firearms I’m involved with’
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – A firearms expert testified Wednesday that the weapons restricted under Illinois’ assault weapons ban include many of the most common firearms that American consumers use for self-defense. Steven Randall Watt, a combat veteran and retired law enforcement officer who now owns a private firearms…
Case of former AT&T boss accused of bribing Madigan heads to jury
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – On Valentine’s Day in 2017, then-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza got some good news: After years of trying to push for legislation in Springfield that would save the company hundreds of millions of dollars annually, powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan had agreed to a…
State Supreme Court hears arguments in Jussie Smollett’s effort to overturn conviction
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in actor Jussie Smollett’s appeal to overturn his conviction on disorderly conduct charges for falsifying a hate crime. Smollett, who was an actor on the TV show “Empire,” was improperly charged with the same crime twice, his legal team…
Testimony continues in 2nd Amendment challenge to Illinois’ assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade firearms. James Ronkainen, a former engineer…
Contractor’s unsecured databases exposed sensitive voter data in over a dozen Illinois counties
By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois aadams@capitolnewsillinois.com Around 4.6 million records associated with Illinoisans in over a dozen counties – including voting records, registrations and death certificates – were temporarily available on the open internet, according to a security researcher who identified the vulnerability in July. The documents were available through an unsecured cloud storage…
Prosecutors rest case against former AT&T Illinois boss accused of bribing Madigan
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com CHICAGO – After years of pushing in Springfield, AT&T Illinois’ executive team was thrilled when the Illinois General Assembly in 2017 passed legislation that would get the company out from under expensive obligations to maintain its aging copper landline wires in Illinois. “Game over. We win,” AT&T Illinois…
Trial begins in challenge to assault weapons ban
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com EAST ST. LOUIS – The owner of a gun store testified Monday that Illinois’ ban on the sale of assault-style weapons and large capacity magazines has had a significant impact on his business and prevented his customers from buying items they would normally use for self-defense, hunting, target…
[…] Source […]
[…] Source link admin Send an email 26 mins ago0 0 3 minutes read Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest Reddit VKontakte Odnoklassniki Pocket Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Tumblr Pinterest Reddit VKontakte Odnoklassniki Pocket Share via Email Print […]