Cerda’s One-Hitter Caps Off Crete-Monee’s Doubleheader Sweep of Thornton

The Crete-Monee varsity baseball team completed a dominant two-game sweep over conference rival Thornton on Thursday, cruising to a 14-0 five-inning road victory. Replicating the success of Wednesday’s matchup, Crete-Monee relied on a suffocating pitching performance, flawless defense, and aggressive baserunning to overwhelm their opponent.

Sophomore pitcher Damian Cerda was spectacular in his start, tossing a complete-game one-hitter over the five abbreviated innings. Cerda commanded the strike zone efficiently, needing only 51 pitches to strike out four batters while allowing just one hit and a single walk. The Crete-Monee defense was perfectly aligned behind him, cleanly fielding all 21 chances without committing an error.

The offense matched Cerda’s precision, scoring in all five innings to keep the pressure mounting on the Thornton defense. Senior Keyshon James highlighted the attack with a home run, finishing 1-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI. Sophomore Tyler Burnett was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs, and a team-high three runs scored.

Once on base, Crete-Monee was an absolute nightmare for the Thornton defense, swiping a staggering 23 bases as a team. Burnett and junior Carlos Aguilar led the base-stealing clinic with four stolen bases apiece. Junior Robert Flores and sophomore Wyatt Love each added three steals, while seniors Walter Johnson and Keyshon James, and junior Bryce Milburn each stole two. Thornton’s defense crumbled under the constant pressure, committing six errors that ultimately led to the run-rule decision.

Game Summary

Score by Innings

Scoring Drives

• First Inning: Crete-Monee starts fast, pushing 3 runs across the plate.

• Second Inning: Crete-Monee extends the lead with a 4-run outburst.

• Third Inning: Crete-Monee maintains momentum, adding 2 runs.

• Fourth Inning: Crete-Monee scores 1 run to pad their commanding lead.

• Fifth Inning: Crete-Monee caps their scoring with a 4-run frame; Thornton is held scoreless to trigger the run rule.

Individual Statistics

• HITTING: Crete-Monee: Tyler Burnett (So) (3-for-3, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R); Keyshon James (Sr) (1-for-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R); Walter Johnson (Sr) (1-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 R); Keegan Quaderer (Jr) (1-for-2, 1 RBI); Bryce Milburn (Jr) (1-for-3, 1 RBI); Wyatt Love (So) (1-for-3, 1 RBI); Gavin Jemilo (So) (1-for-1, 1 R). Thornton: Team Total (1 Hit). (Individual Thornton hitting statistics not provided).

• PITCHING: Crete-Monee: Damian Cerda (So) (W, 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 51 pitches). Thornton: (Individual pitching statistics not provided).

• BASERUNNING: Crete-Monee: Tyler Burnett (So) (4 SB); Carlos Aguilar (Jr) (4 SB); Robert Flores (Jr) (3 SB); Wyatt Love (So) (3 SB); Walter Johnson (Sr) (2 SB); Keyshon James (Sr) (2 SB); Bryce Milburn (Jr) (2 SB); AJ Monegan Jr. (Sr) (1 SB); Garrett Jemilo (Jr) (1 SB); Dylan Dee (Sr) (1 SB).

• FIELDING: Crete-Monee: Team Total (21 Chances, 15 Putouts, 6 Assists, 0 Errors); Keegan Quaderer (Jr) (3 Putouts, 2 Assists); Carlos Aguilar (Jr) (3 Putouts, 1 Assist); Tyler Burnett (So) (3 Assists). Thornton: Team Total (6 Errors).