Athletics

Baseball

5/29/09
Congrats to Taft and Head Coach Rich Pildes, and if I remember correct... Happy Birthday to Steve Brewer. "You're my boy Brew!" ---Bob Kostuch

Regional Semi-Final
ND Dons, Loss, ND Dons 2 Taft 6
FINAL RECORD ND Dons (21-14) (11-7) (NR)

5/27/09 ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 11 Hersey 9
ND Dons (21-13) (11-7) (NR)

5/25/09 ND Dons, Loss, ND Dons 3 Evanston 8
ND Dons (20-13) (11-7) (NR)

5/21/09
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 5 St. Viator 4
ND Dons (20-12) (11-7) (NR)

I have some summaries to make up and I'm tired from getting ready for finals and the end of the year, but last night... WOW. I want to start with tons of thanks to: Coach Les and the basketball Dons for supporting the Baseball Dons, the maintanence crew for bringing out the firehoses so we could water the field, Coach Hen for all he has done for us to date (you have no idea), '03 Grad Josh Piazza for saying, "I saw the lights on and I had to stop." Mark Lara and the Press Box crew, Sammy Bungum (and Dad) for a great rendition of the National Anthem before the game, my parents, all the parents, Ninos, and the BULLPEN PART II rightfield fence Dons who barbecued and played football and supported us with Don Pride. The sign in rightfield was vandalized and thrown out but the tradition remains. Thanks. #26

5/20/09
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 11 Rolling Meadows 1 (5 inn.)
ND Dons (19-12)(10-7)(NR)

5/19/09
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 11 St. Viator 5
ND Dons (18-12) (10-7) (NR)

5/17/09
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 5 St. Joseph 4
ND Dons (17-12) (9-7) (NR)

Joe Gajda went 7 innings complete, giving up 4 runs on 10 hits, 3 walks while striking out 12. Once again, we did our scoring in the second inning getting 4 runs. Mike Kane walked, Eric Hennessey was hit by pitch, and Phil Kerber walked setting up Steve Brewer who singled through the left side with a RBI. AJ Fedoruk then grounded into a Fielder's Choice scoring Hennessey. Dan Fries then doubled in Kerber and Fedoruk. The game was tied in the the bottom of the 7th when Christian Rivera and Dan Fries both reached errors. Joe Romano layed down a beautiful bunt in effort to sacrifice but beat it out for a single. That set up for Billy Kerber's bases-loaded walkoff Walk that ended the game.

ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 13 St. Joeseph 1 (5 innings)
ND Dons (16-12) (8-7) (NR)

Matt Moser went pitched 5 innings complete, allowing 1 run on 4 hits with 2 walks and 5 K's. ND scored 7 runs in the 2nd inning. Sam Bungum and Eric Hennessey walked. Phil Kerber came up with an RBI single and Matt Moser singled. Joe Wietecha reached on an error by the right fielder and then after Joe Romano and Billy Kerber each singled, Mike Kane hit a 3-run Homer.
Dan Fries was 2-4 with a 2b, RBI.
Mike Kane was 1-2 with a BB, HR, R, 4-RBI.
Joe Wietecha was 2-3 with a 2b, 2-R, 2 RBI.

ND Dons, Lose, ND Dons 1 Benet 14
ND Dons (15-12) (7-7) (NR)

Ugly. I think we had a game? But it was over so fast it may have been just a dream. Or a nightmare.
The only good: Johnny "The Most Interesting Don in the World" Kronon had a pinch hit double in the 5th. "He doesn't always play, but when he does he dominates. He is the Most Interesting Don in the World"

5/12/09
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 8 Benet 7
ND Dons (15-11) (7-6) (NR)

The Phil Kerber Show. What a game. Phil "The dunk" Kerber pitched 6 innings and gave up 7 runs, 5 earned, on 11 hits and 2 walks and had 1 strikeout while earning his 4th win. At the plate he was 4-for-4 with a double and 3 singles and 3 RBI. But his greatest play was in the bottom of the 7th inning where he, now at first base, charged in on a bunt and made a fully out-stretched diving catch in foul territory. Definitly worthy of a "Diving Don."

In the top of the 7th tied 7-7 with 2 outs, Phil Kerber singled. Christian "5 on it" Rivera pinch ran and stole second setting the stage for Danny "THE Iceman" Fries RBI single to put the Dons up 8-7. Billy "Strikes" Kerber pitched the 7th for his second Save of the season. Coach Hennessey was awarded the game ball for bringing Christian Rivera to the game after he missed the bus for math help. Thanks to all math teachers for keeping our boys after and teaching Christian the fastest way to get from point A (1st base) to point B (second base).

5/11/09
ND Dons, Loss, ND Dons 0 Nazareth 8
ND Dons, Loss, ND Dons 2 Nazareth 5
ND Dons (14-11) (6-6) (NR)

Not Good. Naz took it to us and we never got rolling. I have to do a better job keeping focus and getting the most from our guys.

THE POSITIVE: I threw half a round of BP(batting practice) with my right arm. MY SONG: Owner of a Lonely Heart, much better than a broken heart. It's true- Now we get to play monday.

ND Dons, Loss, ND Dons 2 Glenbrook North 8
ND Dons (14-9) (6-4) (NR)

Good: Centerfielder Joe Romano pitched 7 strong innings allowing 2 runs in the first before settling down.
Bad: We scored 2 runs.
Ugly: Bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th in a 2-2 tie with only one out and we could not score.

5/8/09 WOW.
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 7 Carmel 6
ND Dons (14-8) (6-4) (NR)

Where do I start. Congrats to ND and Carmel for 2 great baseball games. We are 2 of the better teams in the state and I don't believe we are big rivals, but I know that every time we play it is worth the price of admission. (Good idea, we should charge admission).
If you were not there, just think typical ND/ Carmel battle. ND gives up a nice lead to Carmel. 2 solo home runs, an error, walk, and single and ND is down 4-0. The Dons come back with 2 runs in the 3rd on a sacrifice fly by Sam "Bungy" Bungum and an RBI single by Joe "RO" Romano who scored Matt "Chinadoll" Moser and Danny "Scrap Zone" Fries. Carmel took those 2 runs back on 2 errors and an ejection of Coach Dom "Corleone" Savino, who was ejected while sitting in the dugout. He was ejected for saying in a calm manner that the umpire did not see a call. All it did was fire up the Dons. Trailing 6-2 in the 5th the Dons scored 3, as Joe "the invisible man" Wietecha walked, Sam "Skittles" Bungum singled, Joe "No Slack" Romano was hit-by-pitch, and Billy "STRIKES" Kerber had a 2-run single and Mike "THE DRAGON" Kane had a RBI single, but the Dons left the bases loaded still trailing 6-5. Billy "Strikes" Kerber retired the side in order in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th but in the 6th the dugout energy roared. Danny "Iceman" Fries drove a pitch over the left field wall for a game-tying HR. Then it all came together. I stood in the on-deck circle with Mike "The Dragon Kane. We watched the side-arm pitcher from Carmel warm-up. Every ball he threw in the bottom of the zone ended in the dirt and every ball he got up landed in the zone so it became simple for Mike. If it's High- trust your hands and let the bat fly, if it's low let the ball go. Mike got a first-pitch ball up in the zone and he did not miss it. He sent a soaring drive the dead center to put the Dons up 7-6. Billy "Strikes" Kerber closed it out with three fly-outs.

Wow. You can't write a better script. If you have ever seen the movie "Seabiscuit" you understand ND baseball. It's not in the legs of the horse, it's in his heart. Seabiscuit let rival horse (War Admiral) catch him on the backstretch, because when Seabiscuit got to look in the other horse in the eyes, he found a whole new gear and let his heart take over. He would fight for the win. We are never the biggest horse, but we play with a lot of heart. We are ND.

5/4/09 "The Bull won't care what I did last week," said Tuff Hedeman after winning his third straight rodeo title as he was packing his bags for the next circuit. Back to business Wednesday, nobody cares what you did on Monday.

ND Dons, Loss, ND Dons 12 Carmel 13
ND Dons (13-8) (5-4) (NR)

THE GOOD: Wow. If you missed it, you missed ND Baseball. What a battle. The Dons NEVER GIVE UP! Down 6-1, down 12-6, the Dons never gave in. I was very proud. '07 Grad Bobby Flood and '04 State Champ Adam Carrabotta attended the game and watched the same thing they were part of years ago. The Dons still never quit. Sammy "Skittles" Bungum was in rare form on the bench and Coach Stilenovich's advice helped spur the comeback.
Congrats to Concordia ('05 Dan Linsner, '05 Matt Kudlik, '03 Matt Smith, '05 Joe Leyhane) and on their on their conference championship and congrats to Student Teacher Brad DeJong on a good relief appearance in North Park's final game. 26

THE BAD: We gave them several runs. We did not finish the job. Down 13-12 in the 7th with 1 out, a strike out and groundout ended the rally.

THE UGLY: Rumors are flying about Junior and the upcoming Senior Proms. Please be safe, act with class, and don't jeopardize the team's goals or your future. #26

5/3/09
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 23 Marian Cath. 4
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 9 Marian Cath. 5
ND Dons (13-7) (5-3) (NR)

Saturday Gm #1: Matt Moser picked up the win going 4 innings: 4 runs, 7 hits, 1 K
We scored 14 runs in the 3rd inning making it 23-4. Dan Fries was 2-3 3 runs, 1 SB, RBI. Joe Romano was 3-3, 2B, HR, BB, 4 R, 3 RBI. Matt Moser was 3-4 2-2B, 6 RBI. Sam Bungum was 3-3, 2B, SB, R, 4 RBI.

Saturday Gm #2: Winning Pitcher: Kevin Kloss (3-0) went 6 1/3 IP, 5 R, 8 H, 2 BB's, 4 K's. Billy Kerber came on for the Save.. Kevin stepped up for us and threw strikes getting 9 flyball outs. Joe Romano was 2-3 2B, R. Billy Kerber was 2-3 with 2B, BB, 2 R, and an RBI. Sam Bungum was 3-4 with 2 beautiful bunt singles, 2B, R, RBI. Eric Hennessey was 2-3 2B, R, and 4 RBI. He broke the game open with a 3-RBI double in the 3rd inning.

5/1/09
ND Dons, Loss ND Dons 5 New Trier 8
ND Dons (11-7) (3-3) (NR)

5 unearned runs to a top team like New Trier and you have no chance. Yet we rallied back to cut it to 6-5 in the bottom of the 6th when New Trier homered to make it 8-5. Team Captain Eric Hennessey went 2-3 with a 2B and 2 RBI.

4/30/09
ND Dons, Loss ND Dons 7 St. Pat's 9
ND Dons (11-6) (3-3) (NR)

Dan Fries was 2-3 with a BB and R. Mike Kane was 2-2 with a 3B, 2 -BB, and 2 RBI. Joe Romano was 2-3 with 2 RBI and AJ Fedoruk was 3-4 with and RBI and 2 R.
We made baserunning errors in the first three innings and could not overcome the mistakes.

One of the worst I've had.
Baserunning practice Friday before New Trier. BP before Marian Catholic Saturday. Players, Please stay out of J.U.G. How will we rebound?

4/28/09 Rain go away, at least so we can play.
ND Dons, Win ND Dons 7 St. Pat's 4
ND Dons (11-5) (3-2) (NR)

Winning Pitcher:
"Don of the Month" Bill Kerber 5 IP, 3 Runs, 6 hits, 4 BB, 3 K's
Down 4-3 in the Bottom of the 5th we scored 4 runs. Bill Kerber single, Matt Moser reached on an error, Joe Wietecha was hit by pitch, and Eric Hennessey had a 2 run single, and Danny Fries had an RBI single. Joe Wietecha threw 2 innings of scoreless relief to close it out.

4/26/09 Happy 26 day to all.
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 11 Marist 3
ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 9 Marist 2
ND Dons (10-5) (2-2) (NR)

The Dons, behind 3 great pitching efforts, swept Marist for the first time? (I can't remember doing it before).
In game #1, Matt "Chinadoll" Moser went 4 innings giving up 3 runs on 5 hits and ended a Marist fourth inning rally by picking off the runner at first in a 1st and 3rd defense allowing Shortstop Danny "Iceman" Fries a shot to throw out the runner breaking for home. In the top half of the inning following, Billy "Strikes" Kerber and Mike "the Dragon" Kane blasted back-to-back solo homers to put the Dons up 7-3. Joe "invisible" Wietecha came in and slammed the door going the final 3 innings giving up 4 hits but no runs. Eric "Hen-Dog" Hennessey turned 2 nice double plays in the 5th and 6th innings and had a 2-out RBI single in game #1. Game #1 STARS:
Billy "Strikes" Kerber: 4-for-4 2b, HR, RBI, 3-R
Mike "The Vaccuum" Kane: 4-for-4 2-2b, HR, 3-R, 6-RBI
Matt "Chinadoll" Moser 2-for-4 2-RBI
Dan "Iceman" Fries 2-for-4 2b, 2-R

In game #2, Phil "Von" Kerber improved his record to (3-0) pitching all 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits with 2 strikouts. A six-run 1st inning set the tone for the day as the Don bats kept hitting.
Danny "Iceman" Fries 2-for-2 2-R, BB, HBP, RBI
Billy "Strikes" Kerber 2-for-3 BB, R, SB, RBI
Mike "Dragon" Kane 2-for-4 2b,3b, 2-R, 2-RBI
Eric "Hen's House" Hennessey 2-for-3 2B, SB, R, 3-RBI

You have to give credit where credit is due. With my broken shoulder, throwing BP is out and Coach Savino's key to Success was throwing batting practice as I used to all the time in the past. All the players who showed up for 7 am (optional) BP and played in the game, did well. In BP we had great swings and great focus. Coach Paskvan made some dazzling plays at second base and Coach Catalano and I were bucket boys and did a great job collecting all the balls. It is funny that hard hit baseballs don't seem to fall in when you don't do the extra work and miss things like optional BP. Baseball always seems to imitate life, good things happen to those who work hard.

Also should be mentioned:
1. Mike "the Vaccuum" Kane dominated the clubhouse carpet
for a second time.
2. Coach Savino and Paskvan dominated the drive (in the rain) to Marist.
3. Coach Catalano dominated his Student Teaching which ended friday
4. Matt "Kerber! Stop calling me Jomo" Moran brought a couch for the clubhouse
5. Announcer Mark Lara and the "Bullpen Part 2" IN RIGHTFIELD have dominated for the home fans. Keep it up... St. Patrick Monday April 27th as long as the RAIN, who also deserves a mention, does not make it too wet. Rain is important because it is wet.
4/25/09 85 degrees?

ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 11 Lake Forest 6
ND Dons (8-5) (0-2) (NR)

What a great day to be Joe. Joe "Bodybuilder" Gajda and Joe "Little Pedroia" Romano had a days to remember. Gajda went 6 strong innings giving up 5 runs on 9 hits with 2 walks and five strikeouts. He also helped with the bat going 2-for-2 with 2 singles a run scored and 3-RBI. "Little Pedroia" Romano went 2-for-3 with a a walk, 3 runs scored and a 2-run homer in the 1st and a solo shot in the 6th inning. The Dons also turned 2 nice double plays the last one turned by Steve "Your my boy Brew" Brewer to end the game. On the way home we tried to visit Steve Loomis but he locked the gates on us. We will come see you soon. #26

4/24/09 FIRST NIGHT GAME!

ND Dons, Win, ND Dons 9 St. Joe's 4 (NON-CONF)
ND Dons (7-5) (0-2) (NR)

Hard Work pays off. Chris D'Amato is a senior who got exactly what he deserved. He got the pitching start in the first night game of the 2009 season, a huge honor for a Don.
As a junior, Chris "DMATZ" D'Amato pitched one inning. In the off-season he never missed a training session and also worked out in the mornings before school. Over winter break I would go in at 6:15 am to get some work done before team conditioning and Chris would already be there weightlifting. HARD WORK pays off. In the first inning it did not look good. On 2 consecutive pitches, 2 batters were on base as they were both hit-by-pitch. But, good things happen to those who work hard. Catcher Sammy "Bungy" Bungum caught a runner trying to steal third, Joe "the invisible man" Wietecha made a nice play at third forcing a runner at second base, and Chris snared a comebacker, flipped it to first base and was out of the jam. He then struck out the side in the second, got three groundballs in the third, and did his job getting to the fourth inning for Kevin "The Boss" Kloss to take over. "The Boss" Kloss was nasty. He faced the minimum not allowing a hit while striking out 5. Two of the hardest working Dons showed us that hard work pays off.
Hitting Stars were "Sam "The Man" Bungum, who was 2-for-2 with a 2b, 1b, 3-R, 2-BB, and an RBI, and Danny "The Iceman" Fries who was 1-for-3 with 2b, 2-R, RBI, SB, and an HBP.

4/23/09 Rain is still coming down... check the schedule for added games.

4/21/09 ND Dons (6-5) (0-2) (NR)

ND Dons, Loss (DH) ND Dons 0 Joliet Cath. 8
ND Dons, Loss (DH) ND Dons 2 Joliet Cath. 4

Since coming here in 2003, our record vs. Joliet Catholic was (9-4). It is now (9-6) as the Dons were dominated and swept on Saturday as Joliet had their way in all facets of the game. They stole 6 bases, gave up only 9 hits and 2 runs in 14 innings, played great defense, and got hits when they needed them. If we want to compete with the big boys in the state we have to step up our efforts. Extra hitting before and after practice, added grounders and flyballs on defense, 5 more bunt attempts per game, not leave 11 runners on base, hold runners better, not get thrown out at third to start the 6th inning (My fault) and attack the baseball while getting DEEP INTO THE COUNT. Lots of work to do. Any alums want to come pitch batting practice? #26

4/21/09
I just wanted to say congrats to the Rain for dominating all Sunday and today. There is "wet" everywhere. I woke up Sunday and it was raining, left the clubhouse at 3:30 it was raining, fell asleep at 8:00 p.m. to the sound of drizzle on my window pane, and woke up at 1:00 a.m. to rain splattering off the window ledge. I woke up again at about 6:15 a.m. to nice drips of rain off my garage door right onto my head, which has no hair left so it startled me as it was very cold and wet. Arrived at school at 7:05 and the rain was nice and soft as it hit the bags I carried and the coffee I was drinking. Congrats on the consistency and good luck tonight. 26

4/17/09
Nd Dons, Win, ND Dons 6 Loyola 1
(6-3) (0-0) (NR)
Phil "No more Dunks" Kerber pitched a complete game 7 innings giving up 1 run on 4 hits, with 2 walks and 1 strikeout. He let the Don Defense do the work getting 11 groundball outs including 2 nifty double plays.
Good: Phil was in great control on the mound, poise with good command. THE DONS HIT 2 Balls in the air and struck out only twice on the day!
Bad: We left 8 runners on base in six innings of hitting.
Ugly: We made 2 errors. THE DONS HIT 2 Balls in the air and struck out twice on the day. (all depends on perspective).

4/11/09

ND Dons, Win (DH) vs. Lane Tech
Gm #1 ND Dons 17 Lane Tech 5 (5 innings)
Gm #2 Nd Dons 13 Lane tech 10
(5-3) (0-0) (NR)
Good: 30 runs in 2 games! A nice day for all. Billy "Strikes" Kerber improved to (2-1) witht the win in game 1. Kevin Kloss is now (1-0) with the win in game 2. Danny "The Freezer" Fries went 2 for 3 with 3-R, 1-2B, 1-RBI, 2-BB, and 2-HBP on the day.
BIG RBI guys on the day:
Mike "The Dragon" Kane (6)
Eric "Guy Le Hen" Hennessey (5)
Sam "Bungy" Bungum (5)
Matt "China doll" Moser (4)
Joe "Wiety" Wietecha (3)
AJ "The Mask" Fedoruk (3)
Joe "The Invisible Man" Wietecha picked up his first save with a scoreless 2 innings to close out the second game. Joe "the bodybuilder' Gajda and Matt "the walls don't move" Moran had pinch hit singles.
Bad: We allowed a 7-run 5th inning.
Ugly: Not much. We played well.

4/9/09
(3-3) (0-0) (NR)
ND Dons, Loss- ND Dons 4 Barrington 5
Strikeouts are back...12 to be exact.
Good: Dons had the tying run at third base with 1 out.
Bad: The Dons could not get that run home.
Ugly: 12 K's. If we put it in play we win.
5 WAYS to improve
1. Choke up (from the old school)
2. Lose the upperbody movement and bring elbows closer together
3. Widen stance/ Less stride/ No stride.
4. Think opposite way, see the ball long; don't give up a chance to ring you; fight it off
5. Think fastball; adjust to curve

We get this done and we are good. #26

4/8/09
ND Dons, Win- ND Dons 11 Maine South 1 (5 innings)
(3-2) (0-0) (NR)
GOOD: The Dons stung the baseball. It was very business-like before the game. The field was ready as "ND Maintenance" dominated the field the last few days and had it well prepared for the game. Coach Catalano put down perfectly straight baselines and and Coach Savino fired up his sore elbow for batting practice which led to some great swings. Coach Paskvan had young starter "Matt "Panda II" Moser primed and ready for his 2009 pitching debut. Coach Paskvan commented on how well we lokked in infield-outfield practice as Coach Savino and Coach Catalano had a flawless day. Daisys are white, you can see through glass, and spoons can spoon things up and they are hollow.

BAD: Balls in the dirt reads need to get better: twice we did not advance. We did not cover a base. We did not have a bunt for a hit.

Ugly: We did not cover a base. Our scouting books were not done with pride.

4/5/09
ND Dons, Win- ND Dons 13 Gordon Tech 3 (6 innings)
(2-2) (0-0) (NR)
GOOD: Billy "Strikes" Kerber and Joe "Slacker" Romano hit 3 run Home runs. Billy Kerber recorded his first pitching victory of the season. Coach Hennessey helped fix the centerfield grass making the field playable.
BAD: We were not very good on balls in the dirt reads.
UGLY: At the end of the game some "Bubble gum song" came on instead of Frank Sinatra's "Winners." The Announcers who did a great job for the most part... did not finish the job.

4/2/09
ND Dons, Win- ND Dons 10 Niles North 4
(1-2) (0-0) (NR)
GOOD: Phil Kerber went 3 and 2/3 of well pitched baseball.
BAD: We let up a home run.
UGLY: We let up a home run. One of the coldeset days ever.

ND DONS, Loss- ND Dons 1 Mt. Carmel 5(0-2)(0-0) (NR)
(0-2) (0-0) (NR)

SUN-TIMES- Mount Carmel 5, Notre Dame 1: Eric Whitely contributed a two-run single and Tony O'Shea added a run and an RBI as Mount Carmel (3-2) posted the home-field victory in nonconference play.
Mike Stirling (1-0) pitched five innings for the win, surrendering one run on four hits and striking out five.

4/1/09
I wish it was an April fool's day joke, but 10 K's, 5 errors and 5-1 loss to Mt. Carmel happened for real. ALL 5 runs were unearned. It is a shame that we wasted a 2-hitter by AJ Fedoruk who looked outstanding on the mound. We left 9 runners on-base. 20 K's and 11 errors in 2 games. It's midnight and I will not sleep tonight. Challenge to all ballplayers: Come to play.

I love my guys, I love the way we look, and I love all we have... but this has to stop, fast. My shoulder hurts.

GOOD: Christian Rivera had a pinch hit RBI single for the Dons. Mike Kane had a stolen base. Both Coach Dom's dominated the bus ride in 51 minutes. Thanks to Coach Hen and all the maintenance guys who helped with the water, the tarp and the water on the tarp.

3/30/09
Snow.

A sneak peek to the future:The teams in our sectional are below, ones with astericks are regioanl hosts:
Glenview (Glenbrook South) Sectional (22):

Chicago (Foreman)
Chicago (Lane)
Chicago (Lincoln Park)
Chicago (Mather)
Chicago (Northside)
Chicago (Prosser)
Chicago (Schurz)
Chicago (St. Patrick)
Chicago (Steinmetz)
Chicago (Taft)
Chicago (Von Steuben)
Des Plaines (Maine West)
*Evanston (Twp.)
Franklin Park-Northlake (Leyden)
Glenview (Glenbrook South)
Niles (Notre Dame)
Park Ridge (Maine East)
*Park Ridge (Maine South)
Skokie (Niles North)
*Skokie (Niles West)
Wilmette (Loyola Academy)
*Winnetka (New Trier)

Summary 3/26/09 ND DONS (0-1)
Good: The Dons fought back from a 5-2 deficit and and 9-4 deficit to be one run short 9-8. Joe Gajda pitched 5 and 1/3 and gave up only 3 earned runs. Don pitchers walked O batters.
Bad: We struck out 10 times as a team and made 6 errors in the field.
Ugly: 4 K's were looking. We made 6 errors in the field.

DAILY HERALD 3/27/09:
Prospect 9, Notre Dame 8: Four players had 2 hits as Prospect (1-1) held on for a wild nonconference home victory.

Prospect broke a 5-5 tie with a run in the fifth and scored 3 runs in the sixth. Notre Dame had the tying run on second in the seventh but John Coen got his third strikeout in 2 innings for the save.

3/19/09
Ping-Pong March Madness has begun with Joe "Slacker" Romano defeating Joe "no run" Wietecha in the opening round. We have lots of baseball work to do after the Niles West practice game. The Bright spots: Joe Wietecha and Mike Kane smoked singles, and Eric Hennessey drilled a two-strike pitch to deep center for a double. Joe Romano got a "Diving Don," an award given to a player who dives and comes up with a great catch, nice catch Joe! Christian Rivera legged out an infield hit and scored on Ryan Zanon's single to left, and Joe Gajda had a sacrifice fly. It was great to compete... now it's time to go back to work.
3/12/09
Today was a great day of practice for the Dons. Coach Savino said the hitters did well. The defense is coming along and the attitude is great. Congrats to the basketball Dons who are in the sectional championship on Friday the 13th! All baseball players will leave on the Gale Party Bus at 5:30 for the Old Orchard Food Court and then go to the game. Reminder to all baseball players: You must order the same exact food and sit in the same spots as you did for Wednesday's victoy. "Never mess with a winning streak," ---Crash Davis of the Durham Bulls.

2009 Baseball Dons
3/2/09
First day of tryouts went well. Congrats to Coach Catalano on his playoff basketball coaching victory and Good Luck Wednesday.
BK#26

2/16/09
Mom and Dad, I hope you are enjoying your new laptop. Keep checking the website for 2009 Baseball Season Updates!
Love,
BK #26

Success... To be continued....

2/1/09
Congrats to Mike Kane '09 on signing his letter on intent to play for John A. Logan College.

Led by long–time Head Coach Jerry Halstead, Logan’s baseball team annually ranks among the elite in community college baseball. The Volunteers have won nine conference titles, six Region 24 championships, and made two national tournament appearances. Eleven Volunteers have earned NJCAA All–American honors, and fourteen former Volunteers are currently playing professional baseball, with four competing in the major leagues.