West Chicago is 10-6 on an 8-game win streak coming into the game after sweeping their conference rival Glenbard East. The opposite holds true for the opposing Fenton, as the Bison are 1-17 on the season. 

The bus arrived late at WEGO because of the lack of bus drivers. The boys were eager to sit in their assigned seats and get on the move to play ball. 

 Junior Zachary Kreitzer, sophomore Ashton Aldaco, and the rest of the squad walked into Redmond Memorial Field, the home of the Robert Morris University baseball team. Fenton has a home baseball field on their school’s campus, but it has not been used this year due to the field’s bad conditions.

Coach T.J. Nall tapes up the starting lineup for the Wildcats and stuffs Nerd Gummy Clusters in his jacket pocket in the first base dugout. Nall wants to cut down on the candy clusters, but Coach Greg Bodine keeps buying them.

A view of Memorial Park in the Redmond Recreational Complex. The Redmond Recreational Complex offers many outdoor sports activities, including baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball, soccer, figure skating and hockey.

Starting pitcher senior Drew Zeman warmed up for his second start of the year with catcher Kyler Campbell. Aldaco and Heath, who have been pitching frequently for the Wildcats, were on their days off after pitching in their last series against Glenbard East. 

With a storm just finishing up, Nall and Fenton’s head coach, Brian Peterson, exchange lineups and talks with the umpires to ensure they are all on the same page about the rules.

Brandon R. Heath led off the game for the Wildcats and got drilled in the back with the pitch after being down in the count. 

“Obviously it never feels good to get hit, especially in the back, but a free 90 [feet] is a free 90 [feet],” B. Heath said. 

With a runner on first, junior Tommy Doyle bat second for West Chicago, but just like B. Heath, Doyle got hit with a fastball. This one landed on his forearm. 

Doyle showed off where he got hit with the ball; the seams of the ball are evident on his skin. Luckily, he laughed it off.  

“I didn’t move because I thought it was a curveball out of his hand, but it just didn’t curve and went straight into my arm. The umpire thought it hit the bat, but I showed him the mark, and he gave me the base,” Doyle said

Senior Tyler Heath lined a double to left right field to bring home his brother and Doyle to give the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead. This was just the start for T. Heath and the Wildcats.

Tyler Heath’s second at-bat ended by smoking the ball that left the yard for a solo shot, which would be T. Heath’s second home run of the season, giving WEGO more insurance runs. 

“it was gone off the bat. It was absolutely crushed, one of the hardest hit balls we’ve seen this year,” Williamson, who was on deck, said.

Zeman mid-pose after a pitch during his day on the mound. The southpaw Zeman threw a no-hitter and was a walk away from a perfect game, a great performance by the hefty lefty. 

“Before the game, a few people made a bet that they’d give me $26 if I threw a perfect game, and it kinda sucked because I walked the first kid and then was perfect after that. A no-hitter is still impressive, so I can’t be mad,” Zeman said. 

As the sun came out, junior Royal Day made a break to the plate as the ball got behind the catcher on a pitch to Kreitzer in the sixth inning. Day was safe to score during their 5-run sixth inning.

“The winning streak is fantastic. I love that for the team.  After a great year of Football, it’s time for Baseball to do well.  The boys have been playing great individually and as a team. Hitting and fielding have had some wonderful moments, which are evident in the confidence and smiles that the boys share. I have loved every minute of watching them and seeing them grow as a team.  We can finally say that we are a school that can’t be made fun of,” Tracie Rizzo Cicero, mother of senior Dominic Cicero, said.

Zeman got the final three outs of the game on two groundballs and a strikeout to seal it. The Bison and Wildcats meet at home plate to shake each other’s hands. 

The Wildcats start their toughest series yet on Monday, May 6th, against the Bartlett Hawks, who are second in the Upstate Eight.