TAYLOR, Mich. — The outcome was well worth the wait.
Due to a combination of the original schedule, and severe weather altering that schedule, the DuBois Junior League All-Star baseball team had more than 78 hours between its first two games at World Series in Taylor, Mich.
DuBois came out of that extended layoff looking refreshed Wednesday night and got a strong all-around team effort to stave off elimination with an 8-4 victory against Central Region champ River Forest/Elmhurst, Ill, at Heritage Park. The Illinois squad was making its second straight appearance in Taylor and returned a pair of players from last year’s squad.
The win came on the heels of a tough 12-2, 5-inning loss to to Tampa, Fla., in the opening game of the World Series on Sunday for DuBois. That contest was tied 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth before some pitching struggles by DuBois allowed Florida to pull away.
DuBois has a chance to avenge that loss today, as the East Region champions earned a rematch with Florida thanks to its triumph against Illinois. Florida enters the 2 p.m. elimination contest sporting a 2-1 record at the Series after beating Honolulu, Hawaii, 5-1, in a losers’ bracket game Wednesday.
DuBois showed no ill effects from that opening-game loss Wednesday, as the East champs bounced back with a strong team effort vs. Illinois that saw everyone on the roster aide in the victory.
The East champs got strong pitching from the trio of Evan Burton, Jackson McCall and JT Hughes, while the offensive attack saw eight different players collect hits and five different players score runs.
DuBois scored in four of the first six innings while building leads of 2-0, 4-1 and 8-2 before eventually securing an 8-4 victory that none of the players, coaches or DuBois fans on hand in Michigan will likely soon forget.
Burton gave his team a gritty performance on the mound in relief of Jackson McCall, as DuBois wanted to get two of its three aces time on the mound following the long delay between games.
McCall started and tossed a scoreless first, working around a double with one out. He threw just 14 pitches, which means he is eligible to throw today against Florida.
Burton took over on the mound to start the second and tossed 5 2/3 innings strong innings. He came oh so close to finishing off the game, but reached the 95-pitch limit when he hit Illinois’ Bryce Draeger with two outs in the seventh. Hughes came on to promptly end the game when he got the first hitter he faced to fly out to center as DuBois lived to play another day.
Burton notched the win, his fourth of All-Star play, after allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits. He struck out five and walked three. Those proved to be the only free passes DuBois issued after the team walked 12 in its opening-game loss.
“That was huge,” said DuBois manager Ardie McCall of the team bouncing back from the loss to Florida. “The team played like we all knew they could tonight. It was a big team win. The pitching was outstanding, and we got timely hits. We wanted to get both Jackson and Evan on the mound tonight. He (Jackson) did what I asked from him. Also, we were going to burn Evan (95 pitches) so we wanted to make sure he could go the distance, and he was so close.
“We just got to clean up a few little things on the bases. The community support out here is wonderful also and gives us all the more reason to play.”
After a scoreless first, DuBois struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the second.
Brody Knouse got things started with a single to left with one out, then London Duncan drew a walk. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch before Luke Reed hit a sac fly to center that plated Knouse. A Porter Price single to left-center with two outs scored Duncan to double that lead to 2-0.
Lance Davidson followed with a single of his own left, but Illinois starter Carson Krischke halted the inning there with a groundout.
Illinois got one of those runs back in the bottom of the second.
Fran Madden greeted Burton with a leadoff double and later scored on a two-out single to left by Draeger to cut the DuBois lead to 2-1.
DuBois responded with two more runs in the third against reliever Draeger to push its lead out to 4-1. The inning had the potential to be even bigger though.
Nate Witherite got things started with a walk with one away but was promptly picked off first base. Leadoff man Hughes kept the inning alive when he drew a two-out walk before Kellam Hoover singled.
McCall stepped in and hammered a Draeger pitch to left-center for a double that chased home both runners. Burton then beat out an infield single but was picked off first to end the inning. Burton was the lone DuBois player with two hits in the game.
Illinois tried to answer back in the botttom of the third, loading the bases with two outs on a walk, Krischke double and hit batsman. Burton shut down the rally there, striking out cleanup hitter Logan Dunlop looking to leave the bases full. Krischke finished 3-for-3 with two doubles on the night.
DuBois tacked on a fifth run in the fifth.
Knouse led off the frame with a walk, promptly stole second and went to third on an one-out single by Luke Reed. DuBois then tried to pull off a double steal. Dunlop threw out Reed at second but Knouse swiped home in the process to put his team up 5-1.
A leadoff error in the bottom of the fourth opened the door for Illinois to get back on the scoreboard. Fran Madden reached on that miscue and later scored when Illinois successfully pulled off a double steal with runners on the corners.
Marcelo Garcia, who swiped second, was stranded there though thanks to a a nice inning-ending, sliding catch by right fielder Witherite.
Leading 5-2, DuBois added three huge insurance runs in the sixth.
Witherite was hit by a pitch to open the frame, then took second on a failed pickoff attempt by Draeger. Hughes followed with a single to put runners on the corners before stealing second. A wild pitch allowed Witherite to score and Hughes to reach third.
Hoover followed with and wasted little time taking off for second. DuBois pulled off the double-steal this time, but things got better for the East champs as a late throw not only was high but also got past the center fielder. Hoover wound up scoring as well after starting the play of first base.
Those three runs proved key, as Illinois got to Burton for two runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run double by Dunlop. Instead of it being a 5-4 game, DuBois led 8-4 because of its big top of the sixth.
Burton eventually stranded Dunlop at third, before he and Hughes teamed up for the scoreless seventh to finish off the victory.
DUBOIS 8, ILLINOIS 4
Score by Innings
DuBois 022 106 0 — 8
Illinois 010 102 0 — 4
DuBois—8
JT Hughes 3b-ss-p 2210, Kellan Hoover cf 2210, Jackson McCall p-c 3012, Evan Burton ss-p-ss 3020, Brody Knouse c-3b 1210, London Duncan eh-lf 2100, Luke Reed lf-2b 2011, Porter Price 1b 3011, Lance Davidson eh 2010, Ace Johnson 2b-eh 2000, Aiden Keller eh 3000, Nate Witherite rf 1100. Totals: 26-8-9-4.
Illinois—4
Kedon Robinson cf 1100, Carson Krischke p-eh-rf 3130, Kayden Crump 3b 2000, Logan Dunlop c 3012, Fran Madden eh 3210, Dominic Ramos 2b-ss 3000, Marcelo Garcia eh-2b 3010, Camilo Colombari rf-2b-eh 2000, Bryce Draeger lf-p-eh 2011, Sam Falbo 1b 3000, Chase Trachtman eh-lf 2000, Sebastian Sichlau ss-p 2000. Totals: 29-4-7-3.
Errors: DuBois 1, Illinois 2. LOB: DuBois 6, Illinois 9. 2B: McCall; Krischke 2, Dunlop, Madden. SF: Reed. HBP: Davidson (by Draeger), Witherite (by Draeger); Crump (by Burton), Draeger (by Burton). SB: Hughes, Hoover, Knouse 2; Krischke, Madden, Garcia. CS: Reed (by Dunlop). PO: Burton (by Draeger), Davidson (by Draeger), Witherite (by Draeger).
Pitching
DuBois: Jackson McCall-1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO; Evan Burton-5 2/3 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO, 2 HB; JT Hughes-1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO.
Illinois: Carson Krischke-2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO; Bryce Draeger-3+ IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 3 SO, 2 HB; Sebastian Sichlau-2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO.
Winning pitcher: Burton. Losing pitcher: Krischke.
