Explosive Third Inning, Relentless Baserunning Propel Crete-Monee Past Kankakee, 19-9

An astonishing display of speed on the basepaths and a massive 13-run third inning powered the Crete-Monee varsity baseball team to a 19-9 conference victory over host Kankakee in a wild five-inning contest on Thursday afternoon.

Crete-Monee turned the game into a track meet, accumulating a staggering 24 stolen bases as a team. The visitors paired that aggression with excellent plate discipline, drawing 13 walks and getting hit by pitches seven times to constantly keep the pressure on the Kankakee defense.

Senior Keyshon James was the primary catalyst for Crete-Monee, finishing 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring four runs, and swiping a game-high six bases. Sophomore Carter Graham was also a force in the lineup, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three stolen bases. Junior Garrett Jemilo added four steals of his own, while sophomore Jack Deutsche stole three bases despite not registering an official at-bat.

The game began as a competitive back-and-forth affair. Crete-Monee jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Kankakee immediately answered with three runs in the bottom half of the frame to tie the score. Kankakee then scratched across a run in the second inning to take a brief 4-3 advantage.

The momentum shifted entirely in the top of the third. Crete-Monee sent wave after wave of batters to the plate, capitalizing on walks, hit batters, and critical Kankakee defensive miscues to erupt for 13 runs.

Kankakee starting pitcher Devin Arbour was saddled with a tough-luck loss. While Arbour allowed 16 runs over 2.2 innings of work, only three of those runs were earned as the Kankakee defense committed four costly errors behind him. Arbour also struck out three batters.

Despite the deficit, Kankakee’s offense showed resilience. The hosts rallied for five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, drawing 10 walks as a team to keep the line moving. Freshman Johnny Short paced the Kankakee lineup, going 2-for-4 and scoring three times. Arbour helped his own cause at the plate with a perfect 2-for-2 day, while junior J. Villafuerte added a pair of hits.

Crete-Monee utilized a pitching committee to navigate the high-scoring affair. Sophomore Tyler Burnett earned the win in relief, providing stability with 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one. Adonys Ferrell, Gavin Jemilo, and Robert Flores also saw time on the mound for the visitors to help close out the run-rule victory.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• 1st Quarter (Inning): Crete-Monee opens the game with three runs. Kankakee immediately responds with three runs in the bottom half to tie it at 3-3.

• 2nd Quarter (Inning): Kankakee edges ahead, plating a single run to take a 4-3 lead.

• 3rd Quarter (Inning): Crete-Monee explodes for a massive 13-run inning, capitalizing on walks and errors to take a commanding 16-4 advantage.

• 4th Quarter (Inning): Kankakee mounts a rally, scoring five runs to cut the deficit to 16-9.

• 5th Quarter (Inning): Crete-Monee tacks on three final insurance runs to reach the run-rule margin, finalizing the 19-9 victory.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Crete-Monee: Keyshon James (Sr) 3-4 (4 R, 1 BB, 6 SB); Carter Graham (So) 3-3 (2 R, 2 BB, 3 SB); AJ Monegan (Sr) 1-3 (2 R, 2 SB); Tyler Burnett (So) 1-3.

• Kankakee: Johnny Short (Fr) 2-4 (3 R); Devin Arbour (Sr) 2-2 (1 R, 1 BB); J. Villafuerte (Jr) 2-3 (1 R); Dylan Shepard (So) 1-4 (1 R); Bentley Deany (So) 0-2 (1 BB).

PITCHING:

• Crete-Monee: Tyler Burnett (W) 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K; Gavin Jemilo 2.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; Adonys Ferrell 1.2 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 4 BB, 0 K.

• Kankakee: Devin Arbour (L) 2.2 IP, 4 H, 16 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 3 K; Johnny Short 1.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 1 K; Mike Prudejr 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.

FIELDING:

• Crete-Monee: Team totals: 15 PO, 9 A, 2 E, 3 DP.

• Kankakee: Team totals: 15 PO, 3 A, 4 E.