Combined Shutout, Early Offensive Burst Propel Brother Rice Past Lincoln-Way Central 7-0

CHICAGO — The Brother Rice varsity baseball team utilized a dominant combined pitching performance and a four-run first inning to defeat visiting Lincoln-Way Central 7-0 in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday afternoon.

Brother Rice set the tone immediately, aggressively attacking the strike zone and capitalizing on early opportunities. The hosts pushed four runs across in the bottom of the first inning, providing their pitching staff with a comfortable cushion before the Knights could settle into the game.

Senior pitcher JJ Manos was the beneficiary of the early run support. Manos earned the victory with an excellent four-inning start, keeping the Lincoln-Way Central lineup off balance by scattering three hits, walking just one batter, and striking out six. Junior Aidan Dillon took over in relief, tossing two scoreless innings and yielding just two hits. Junior G. Stanislawski then navigated around three walks in the seventh inning to complete the combined shutout.

Offensively, Junior Luca Agne was a constant spark plug for Brother Rice, finishing a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Junior B. Cunningham also delivered a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 and crossing the plate twice. Junior Colin Campbell added an RBI single and scored two runs to help anchor the lineup.

Junior A. Cartolano was a menace on the basepaths for the hosts. Although he did not record an official hit, Cartolano drew three walks and stole three bases, continuously putting pressure on the Lincoln-Way Central defense.

Trailing 4-0, Lincoln-Way Central struggled to string hits together against the Brother Rice rotation. Senior Luke Tingley provided a bright spot for the Knights, going 2-for-3 on the day. Junior Dominic Milo, junior Tyler Arnold, and sophomore Des Gill each added singles, but the visitors could not manufacture a sustained rally to break the shutout.

Senior Owen Novak took the loss on the mound for the Knights, allowing seven runs (six earned) over four innings of work. Despite the deficit, senior Nolan Bartkus provided a stellar relief performance for Lincoln-Way Central, tossing two scoreless innings while striking out five batters and allowing just two hits.

Brother Rice capped the game’s scoring in the bottom of the fifth inning, pushing three final insurance runs across the plate to comfortably secure the 7-0 home win.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• 1st Inning: Brother Rice strikes early, erupting for four runs to take immediate control of the contest.

• 5th Inning: Brother Rice tacks on three insurance runs to extend the advantage to 7-0.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Brother Rice: Luca Agne (2-2, 1 RBI, 1 R); B. Cunningham (2-3, 2 R); Colin Campbell (1-3, 1 RBI, 2 R); G. Stanislawski (1-3, 1 R, 1 SB); Joey Escobarete (1-3, 1 SB); A. Cartolano (3 BB, 3 SB).

• Lincoln-Way Central: Luke Tingley (2-3); Dominic Milo (1-3); Tyler Arnold (1-3); Des Gill (1-3); Shawn Mowry (1 BB); Conor McCabe (1 BB); Daniel Houston (1 BB).

PITCHING:

• Brother Rice: JJ Manos (W, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K); Aidan Dillon (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K); G. Stanislawski (1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K).

• Lincoln-Way Central: Owen Novak (L, 4.0 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 2 K); Nolan Bartkus (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K).