Glenbrook South rallies from seven-run deficit, beats Oak Park-River Forest

THE SKINNY

The Oak Park-River Forest baseball team jumped out to a 7-0 lead Wednesday afternoon, but Glenbrook South fought back. The Titans scored 11 consecutive runs en route to a non-conference victory in Glenview.

TURNING POINT

Glenbrook South (19-3) was down by seven runs heading into the bottom of the second inning, but its first five batters reached base. Senior second baseman Jimmy Ruddy, senior catcher D.J. Dillon, junior left fielder Connor Pauly and senior shortstop Mario Tursi each picked up an RBI before Cody Carroll stepped to the plate with two outs. Carroll laced a single over the shortstop to drive in two runs and cut Oak Park-River Forest’s lead to 7-6.

THE STAR

Glenbrook South senior reliever Drake Hlavin entered the game in the third inning and proceeded to retire the Huskies in order, which sustained his squad’s momentum. Glenbrook South took an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the third. Hlavin (4 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2K) kept the Huskies’ lineup at bay throughout his relief appearance.

BY THE NUMBERS

Pauly finished 2-for-3 and drove in two runs, and Glenbrook South junior third baseman George Karavidas went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Titans senior left fielder Paul Jones got on base four times and tied with Oak Park-River Forest left fielder Jon Ernest (2-for-3, 1 RBI) with a game-best three runs scored. The Huskies, who hit four doubles in the game’s first two innings, struggled both at the plate and in the field as Glenbrook South made its comeback. They made six errors in the game’s final four innings.

QUOTABLE

“We’ve been hitting well all year. We didn’t panic. We took advantage of all of our at-bats, stayed in it and put the ball in play.” — Jones