Mendota threw its second no-hitter of the season and that helped propel it to a double-header sweep of Genoa-Kingston in Big Northern Conference varsity baseball action on May 2 at Faber Field in Mendota.
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Mendota threw its second no-hitter of the season and that helped propel it to a double-header sweep of Genoa-Kingston in Big Northern Conference varsity baseball action on May 2 at Faber Field in Mendota. The two teams played a twinbill in Mendota after their scheduled game a day earlier in Genoa was cancelled. Both games were five innings.
In the opener, Ben Bokus shut down the Cogs in a 3-0 Trojan victory.
Bokus hurled five innings of no-hit ball, striking out 13 and walking two. Meanwhile, the Trojan offense did just enough to help the team to a win.
Mendota, which collected six hits, scored two of its runs on wild pitches, while Joe LaShonse drove in the other. He had a single and a double to lead the attack.
In game two, Genoa-Kingston was the home team in a 5-4 Trojan triumph.
Sam Becker walloped a solo home run to lead off the game for Mendota, while Paxton Kennedy had three singles, drove in a run and scored two runs. Becker also added a single in Mendota’s eight-hit performance. Bokus and Ivan Cuevas also drove in runs for the Trojans.
Bryson Prusator went the distance on the hill, allowing eight hits and two earned runs. He walked one and fanned seven.
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Mendota’s stellar pitching continued in a 10-0 shutout victory over North Boone in BNC action on May 4 at the MHS diamond.
Cruz Figueroa handcuffed the Vikings over five innings, allowing just a harmless double in the third inning. The senior lefty struck out six and did not issue a walk.
The Trojan bats provided plenty of offensive support as they had back-to-back three-run innings and then scored four in the bottom of the fifth to win by the 10-run rule.
Mendota tallied three times in the second on six walks, a hit batsman and two wild pitches, and then tacked on three more in the third. Bokus led off with a single, LaShonse was safe on an error and Cuevas walked to fill the bases. Bryar Lindenmeyer drove in a run with a bunt single, then Becker lashed a single to plate two more.
Mendota put the game on ice in the fifth, finishing it off on a single by Prusator to plate the 10th run.
The Trojans had six singles in the contest, including a pair by Lindenmeyer.
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Mendota let a huge lead slip away in the final inning and dropped an 11-10 decision to St. Bede on May 5 at Peru.
With Mendota leading 10-5 with two outs and one runner on base in the bottom of the seventh, St. Bede pushed across six runs to shock the Trojans. The big hit came from Brady Booker, whose sinking line drive double to center scored three runs to tie the game. Josh Sapp singled on the next pitch to drive in Booker with the game-winner.
Mendota, which outhit St. Bede, 18-9, committed five errors, leading to four unearned runs for the Bruins over the first two innings.
Bokus had a perfect day at the plate for the Trojans, picking up five hits in as many at-bats. He had three singles, a double and a triple, and drove in two runs. Others with multiple hits were Kennedy (three singles), Becker (two singles), Figueroa (two singles), LaShonse (two singles, two RBI) and Jake Nurnberg (two singles, two RBI). Lindenmeyer also drove in a pair of runs.
Becker pitched the first four innings, while Nurnberg and Kennedy worked in relief, with Kennedy taking the loss.
* * *
Mendota made short work of Plano, capturing a 12-2 win in a five-inning 10-run rule contest on May 6 at the MHS diamond.
The Trojans put five runs on the board in the first and four more in the second to take command. Mendota capped off the win on a sacrifice fly by Bokus in the bottom of the fifth.
The Trojans, who had seven hits, benefited from six Plano errors. Prusator doubled and drove in two runs, while Bokus had three RBI. Nurnberg added a double for Mendota.
John Buchanan pitched a complete game for the Trojans, permitting two earned runs on four hits, walking none and striking out three.
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The Trojans put a huge crooked number on the board in the sixth inning to pull away for an 11-3 triumph over North Boone in BNC play on May 8 at Poplar Grove.
With the scored tied at 3-3, Mendota sent 12 batters to the plate in the sixth inning and eight of them scored. The Trojans had three hits, three hit batsmen and took advantage of three North Boone errors in the frame. Kennedy delivered a bases loaded double to drive in three for the key hit in the inning. A bunt single by Prusator earlier in the inning gave the Trojans a 4-3 lead.
Mendota (17-8, 13-4) scored a pair of runs in the opening inning on a sacrifice fly by Kennedy and an RBI single by Bokus. North Boone scored once in the third and twice in the fourth to grab a 3-2 lead before the Trojans evened the count in the fifth on a double by Prusator and a run-scoring two-bagger by LaShonse.
Bokus went 5 2/3 innings on the hill, allowing two earned runs on a pair of hits. He walked six and fanned 13, running his season total strikeout mark to 73 in 38 1/3 innings. The junior lefty improved his record to 6-2 and his earned run average to 1.64. Kennedy finished up on the mound.
Mendota’s 11-hit attack was led by Kennedy, Prusator and Buchanan with two hits apiece. Kennedy drove in four runs and now has 34 RBI for the season, while Buchanan had two runs batted in.
