PBR DAILY ROUNDUP

March 12, 2012

By Drake Skleba

Play Ball! The 2012 Illinois high school baseball season opened with a couple games on Monday. The heavy rains in the Chicagoland area Sunday night washed away the handful of games in Chicagoland for Monday…

Benton (1-0) over the years has won a number of games in dramatic fashion.

It was no different in the Rangers’ home opener on Monday. Senior RHP/C Trey Garrett stepped to the plate in a 9-9 slugfest to leadoff the bottom of the seventh. Garrett promptly sent a 1-0 fastball over the centerfield fence at Benton City Park to give the Rangers a thrilling 10-9 victory.

Ranger senior RHP Ty Leffler (Bradley signee) (1-0) struck out four in a spotless 1 2/3 innings of relief of Garrett to pick up the win on the mound. Leffler hit a two-run shot to give the Rangers a 9-8 lead in the fifth. Garrett added a double at the plate for the Rangers.

DuQuoin (0-1) was led by Indian Travis Chapman, who had three hits, including a grand slam and a game-tying double in the sixth, and plated six Indian runs.     

Chicago Christian (1-0) had to move their game originally scheduled at Bloom (0-1) to home in Palos Heights. 6-foot-3 senior RHP Trent Overzet (1-0) allowed a pair of runs in a solid four-inning stint to pick up the win on the mound. Overzet fanned four to improve to 19-1 in his Knight career.

Auburn (1-0) smashed Springfield Lanphier 10-2 behind the hitting of junior CF Austin Muench. Muench had a pair of hits, including a double and drove home three Trojan runs. Trojan senior C Travis Cumming chipped in with a pair of hits and two RBI. Muench swiped a pair of bases in support of winning pitcher senior LHP Zack Patton (1-0). 

Junior 2B Brodie Meyer led the Knight attack with a pair of hits and 2 RBI. Sophomore C Max Kerfin chipped in with a pair of hits and six other Knights hit safely. Chicago Christian will host Rich South in Palos Heights on Tuesday.