Crystal Lake routs Elgin for American Legion title
By JOHN SOLYMOSSY – jsolymossy@nwherald.com
CRYSTAL LAKE – The combination of Matt Nelsen at the plate and Sean Wilson on the mound proved to be a potent combination for the Crystal Lake American Legion baseball team Sunday as it beat Elgin, 18-5, in seven innings to win the District 11 Tournament championship in seven innings.
Nelsen went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs as Crystal Lake scored 10 or more runs for the third consecutive game and 46 runs overall in three games of the District 11 tournament.
“We have been hitting all year, and our bats were really hot lately,” Nelsen said.
Wilson gave up only four hits and five runs in seven innings.
“We found success by keeping their hitters off balance, and it makes my job so much easier when you have an offense like we do,” Wilson said.
Crystal Lake took control of the game early as it scored its first seven runs in the bottom of the second inning.
Zachary Carpenter led off with a single and was followed by a towering home run by right fielder Tony Pauls over the left field fence.
Next came a single by Adam Nisenson, who was moved over by a sacrifice bunt by David Loupee and followed by Jacob Heckman's base hit.
Leadoff man Gavin Meyer drove in Nisenson with a sacrifice fly, and after a Lee Spinelle single, Heckman was driven in by Wilson on a base hit. Both Spinelle and Wilson were driven in by Nelsen's home run to right, which finished the scoring in the second.
“I got my pitch and hit it, and it carried because the wind was blowing out to right at the time,” Nelsen said of his three-run shot.
Elgin responded with four runs in their next at-bat, but Crystal Lake countered with another three runs in the bottom of the third. Crystal Lake would score one run in the fifth and scores another seven runs in the sixth inning that was highlighted by a three-run homer by Thomas Hooker.
“I didn’t even know I was going to get the chance to play today, and he [George Heller] threw me an inside fastball and I turned on it,” Hooker said of his first home run.
