Wedekind no-hits arch-rival Hall
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SPRING VALLEY — Brik Wedekind was asked by a teammate in the Princeton dugout if he had a no-hitter going as he walked off the mound in the fourth inning Tuesday night, breaking the Cardinal rule of baseball. Jinxes aside, all was good because Wedekind not only knew he had a no-hitter going, he told his girlfriend he was going to throw one before the game.
The junior right-hander completed his first career no-hitter, shutting out NCIC rival Hall 10-0 in five innings under the lights of Foley Field. The closest Wedekind ever came to a no-hitter before was Little League. The fact it came against arch-rival Hall made it that much sweeter, he said.
“I knew I had the no-hitter going, but not the perfect game because I walked a couple,” he said. “It’s every pitcher’s dream. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be mine.”
Wedekind struck out the first Red Devil batter he faced and the last one, and nine more in between. He walked three, facing just three batters over the minimum 15 in the five-inning game called by the 10-run rule.
Hall coach Tom Keegan said the Red Devils got another dose of what Wedekind has been doing to them all school year.
“I tell you what, that kid stepped it out against the Hall Red Devils. He had a heckuva football game and did some damage against them in basketball, too,” he said. “He was on tonight. Mixed and match pretty well, located pretty well. We just couldn’t do a whole lot with him. (You) tip your hat to him and move on.”
Wedekind showed an explosive fastball in which Keegan said was doubtful the Red Devils could catch up to it Tuesday, and he used his offspeed pitch to “freeze us.”
“I was really concentrating on getting my arm up and getting it back. I get more on the ball,” said Wedekind, who finished the night with 84 pitches.
Wedekind was well aware of the one-year anniversary of his last appearance at Foley Field when he was ejected for slamming his bat down at the plate on a called third strike. This Cinco de Mayo was much more festive.
“Last year wasn’t my year here, so I came back strong,” he said.
Sophomore third baseman Michael Murray went 3-3 with four RBIs, including a three-run homer in the fifth. Short stop Drew Compton went 2-4 with two RBIs, and first baseman Daniel Murray and catcher Reid Clary added two hits each.
Wedekind’s teammates made his job easier by erupting for six runs on four hits and two Hall errors in the fifth inning. Wedekind drew a lead-off walk off Hall reliever Nick Rounds, and Brock Schmidt reached when his fly to right field was dropped by Connor Gonzalez.
Up stepped Michael Murray, who capped a perfect game at the plate with a high, lazy fly to left that kept carrying over the left field fence and smashed a windshield of a Hall student’s car parked on Devlin Street. The three-run shot made it 7-0.
“It felt really good (off the bat). I thought it was a little high to go over,” Murray said. “It was good (Wedekind) could go out and throw the no-hitter. I hadn’t done that good at the plate, so this was real uplifting for me.”
Dylan Olson then reached on an error and stole second. Rounds retired Zac Marquis on a hard hit ball to shortstop Brian Nolasco and David Sailer on a solid liner to second baseman Nick Lower. Drew Compton beat out an infield hit to second to score Olson to make it 8-0.
Daniel Murray beat out a nubber, and Clary followed with a RBI single to right to plate Compton. Murray took third and scored on a wild pitch to give the Tigers a 10-0 edge.
Sailer led off the game with a walk off Hall starter Wes Herrmann and stole second. Compton followed with a single over the first base bag to score Sailer. Compton stole second and tried to score on Daniel Murray’s single to center, running through coach John Cruz’s stop sign at third base and was tagged out standing up at home plate by Hall catcher Michael Swingel.
Wedekind gave himself a 2-0 lead before he took the mound by driving home Daniel Murray with a single over the third base bag.
PHS went up 4-0 with two runs in the third. Wedekind drew a one-out walk, and Brock Schmidt hit a clean hit through the vacated short stop hole on a hit and run, sending courtesy runner Hank Egan to third. Michael Murray drove in Egan with a single to left, and when the ball eluded Hall’s Jake Kelley, Schmidt tried to score all the way from first base but was gunned down at the plate by the Hall relay.
Notes: Herrmann took the loss, surrendering seven hits and four runs, three earned, over four innings. Rounds was charged with all six runs in the fifth, only two earned. The NCIC and Bureau County rivals will meet again at Prather Field in Princeton at 4:30 p.m., today, Thursday. Hall (9-15, 2-6) started Tuesday’s game with nine active players and added a sub late. Keegan said he will take a stock of arms to see who he will start on the hill. Cruz said he will likely counter with Michael Murray, if the blister on his finger is OK. The Tigers will host Rock Island Alleman in a make-up game Friday and travel to Dunlap for a 9 a.m. Saturday doubleheader.
