Part of the process of pitching on the varsity level is about finding ways to navigate through tough waters.
For Naperville North junior right-hander Matt Schwartz, that process continued Tuesday with flying colors.
One day after staff ace Matt Pillatsch took the loss in a 10-run defeat to Metea Valley, Schwartz was able to stem any tide by going the distance.
Thanks to Schwartz’s first career complete game and a pair of RBI from junior Jack Ginzkey, Naperville North squeezed out a 3-2 DuPage Valley Conference victory over Metea Valley.
A week after tossing six innings in a victory over South Elgin, Schwartz (2-1) established a new career high in strikeouts with six for Naperville North (3-4, 1-1).
“All four pitches were working,” Schwartz said. “Location was spot-on, especially with the fastball and curveball. That’s what made my game effective.”
When he wasn’t relying on the strikeout, he was pitching to contact and letting his teammates behind him pick him up.
After a Bobby Farenkopf two-out single to left plated a run for Metea Valley (3-4, 1-3) in the second, Schwartz bore down by getting Blake Honda to line out to center with two on to end the inning.
Three innings later – after his throwing error allowed the Mustangs to retake the lead at 2-1 – Schwartz limited the damage by stranding the bases loaded after getting Jack Feeley to fly out.
Inducing Honda to hit into a double play after the first two Mustangs reached in the sixth with the Huskies holding a one-run lead was the last real trouble Schwartz found himself in.
“Confidence is huge,” Schwartz said. “We’ve been a low error team, so confidence is huge – especially the double play. That really turned things around in the middle of the game.”
While Schwartz was doing his thing on the mound for the young Huskies, Ginzkey made the most of his two hits – both of which were of the game-tying variety.
Two innings after his two-out RBI double, Ginzkey’s soft RBI single to left off Mustangs’ reliever Joey Coryell as part of a two-run fifth tied the game at 2-2.
“Bases were loaded and they brought in the lefty for the top of the order,” Ginzkey said. “And I was just looking for a good ball to hit and a good at-bat. Fortunately, I was able to do so and just put it in play.”
A Pillatsch RBI grounder one batter later gave Schwartz and the Huskies the lead to stay.
Schwartz’s ability to stay composed – along with Ginzkey and Brennan Simek helping the offense with two hits apiece – is what stood out for Huskies’ coach Carl Hunckler.
“It was exciting to see him pitch and compete,” Hunckler said of Schwartz. “The big inning was when they took the lead (in the fifth) and we had bases loaded, no outs and we got out of that inning. I mean, that’s always huge in high school, at any level. He battled the whole time and I thought that last inning, he had some giddy up and that’s what you want in this cold weather.”
Farenkopf had two hits for the Mustangs, who got 4 1/3 innings from starter Steven Anderson.
With Schwartz being able to pitch in and out of trouble several times, the Mustangs just couldn’t get the big hit when they needed it.
“We just didn’t execute,” Metea Valley coach Craig Tomczak said. “I mean, got to get a hit. That’s all it comes down to.”
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