Nash Brubaker’s Two Home Runs Power Herscher Past Crete-Monee, 5-2

Senior Nash Brubaker delivered a massive performance at the plate, launching two home runs to lead the Herscher varsity baseball team to a 5-2 non-conference road victory over Crete-Monee on Saturday afternoon.

Brubaker was the undeniable catalyst for the Herscher offense, finishing the day 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Freshman Colton Carson provided excellent support from the lineup, turning in a perfect 2-for-2 performance that included an RBI, a walk, and a run scored. Dylan Bayston also chipped in with a timely RBI hit to keep the pressure on the hosts.

Crete-Monee showed early resilience, striking first with a run in the bottom of the opening inning. After Herscher answered with two runs in the top of the second, the Warriors immediately responded, pushing another run across in the bottom half of the frame to knot the game at 2-2. AJ Monegan sparked the hosts with a hit, a run scored, and a pair of stolen bases. Chris Schubbe and Garrett Jemilo recorded the other two hits for Crete-Monee, but the offense struggled to find a rhythm as the game wore on.

Herscher broke the deadlock in the third inning to take a 3-2 lead and then relied on a stellar pitching performance from Gaige Brown to lock down the victory. Brown earned the win after tossing five strong innings, allowing just two runs on one hit while striking out five batters. Connor Sharper was equally impressive, dealing two scoreless, two-hit innings while striking out three.

Herscher tacked on crucial insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull away. Crete-Monee senior Dylan Dee took the hard-luck loss despite a solid long-relief appearance. Dee threw five innings, allowing five hits and three runs—only one of which was earned—while striking out three, but uncharacteristic defensive errors hindered the Warriors’ chances of a late comeback.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• 1st Inning: Crete-Monee opens the scoring with 1 run in the bottom of the first to take an early lead.

• 2nd Inning: Herscher gets on the board with 2 runs in the top half. Crete-Monee answers with 1 run to tie the game at 2-2.

• 3rd Inning: Herscher plates 1 run to reclaim the lead, 3-2.

• 6th Inning: The visitors add an insurance run to stretch the advantage to 4-2.

• 7th Inning: Herscher tacks on 1 final run to secure the 5-2 road victory.

Individual Statistics

HERSCHER BATTING:

• Nash Brubaker (Sr): 3-4, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR

• Colton Carson (Fr): 2-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB

• Dylan Bayston (Jr): 1-4, 1 RBI

• Mason Roberts (Sr): 1-3

• Cam Baker (Sr): 1-2, 1 BB

HERSCHER PITCHING:

• Gaige Brown (W): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

• Connor Sharper: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

CRETE-MONEE BATTING:

• AJ Monegan (Sr): 1-3, 1 R, 2 SB

• Chris Schubbe (Sr): 1-3, 1 SB

• Garrett Jemilo (Jr): 1-3

• Carter Graham (So): 1 BB, 1 SB

• Tyler Burnett (So): 1 BB

CRETE-MONEE PITCHING:

• Dylan Dee (L): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

• Gavin Jemilo: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K