Love Goes the Distance as Crete-Monee Tops Thornton Fractional South 8-2

The Crete-Monee varsity baseball team leaned on a stellar complete-game performance from sophomore pitcher Wyatt Love to secure an 8-2 non-conference victory over Thornton Fractional South on Saturday. Supported by flawless team defense and a relentless, opportunistic offense, Love completely shut down the visiting Red Wolves.

Love commanded the strike zone throughout the entire seven-inning contest, scattering four hits and allowing just two earned runs. The sophomore standout struck out seven batters and issued only two walks, remaining highly efficient with a 95-pitch outing. Behind him, the Crete-Monee defense backed up their pitcher perfectly, converting all 31 of their fielding chances without a single error. Junior Carlos Aguilar anchored the defense from behind the plate with eight putouts and one assist.

Crete-Monee jumped on the board early, striking for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Thornton Fractional South tied the game with a two-run surge in the top of the second, Crete-Monee immediately responded, retaking the lead in the third. The hosts gradually pulled away in the late innings, scoring two runs in the fifth and capping the afternoon with a three-run rally in the sixth.

Senior Keyshon James paced the offense, going 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Junior Keegan Quaderer added a pair of hits and scored twice. Once again, Crete-Monee’s aggressive baserunning proved to be a major factor, as the team converted on all nine of their stolen base attempts. Senior AJ Monegan Jr. led the charge with three steals, while James, senior Walter Johnson, and senior Chris Schubbe each swiped two. The constant pressure on the basepaths forced Thornton Fractional South into four costly defensive errors, cementing Crete-Monee’s victory.

Game Summary

Score by Innings

Scoring Drives

• First Inning: Crete-Monee strikes first, bringing 2 runs across the plate.

• Second Inning: Thornton Fractional South rallies for 2 runs to tie the game.

• Third Inning: Crete-Monee retakes the lead, pushing 1 run across.

• Fourth Inning: Both offenses are held scoreless.

• Fifth Inning: Crete-Monee extends their lead with a 2-run frame.

• Sixth Inning: Crete-Monee pads their advantage with a 3-run outburst.

• Seventh Inning: Crete-Monee closes out the game with a scoreless frame to seal the 8-2 win.

Individual Statistics

• HITTING: Crete-Monee: Keyshon James (Sr) (2-for-3, 1 2B, 2 R); Keegan Quaderer (Jr) (2-for-4, 2 R); Chris Schubbe (Sr) (1-for-3); AJ Monegan Jr. (Sr) (1 R); Carlos Aguilar (Jr) (2 R). Thornton Fractional South: Juan Lozano (Jr) (2-for-3); Richard Diaz (Sr) (1-for-3); Eric Talbert (Jr) (1-for-3).

• PITCHING: Crete-Monee: Wyatt Love (So) (W, 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 95 pitches). Thornton Fractional South: Juan Lozano (Jr) (L, 5.0 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 75 pitches); Terrell Steele (Jr) (1.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 27 pitches).

• BASERUNNING: Crete-Monee: AJ Monegan Jr. (Sr) (3 SB); Walter Johnson (Sr) (2 SB); Keyshon James (Sr) (2 SB); Chris Schubbe (Sr) (2 SB). Thornton Fractional South: Nathan Weathers (Jr) (1 SB).

• FIELDING: Crete-Monee: Team Total (31 Chances, 21 Putouts, 10 Assists, 0 Errors); Carlos Aguilar (Jr) (8 Putouts, 1 Assist); Garrett Jemilo (Jr) (8 Putouts); Carter Graham (So) (6 Assists). Thornton Fractional South: Team Total (32 Chances, 18 Putouts, 10 Assists, 4 Errors).