Late Run, Dominant Pitching Lift Lincoln-Way Central Past Hinsdale Central 2-1

HINSDALE, Ill. — In a tense, wire-to-wire pitchers’ duel, the Lincoln-Way Central varsity baseball team pushed across the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning to edge host Hinsdale Central 2-1 in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday afternoon.

The Knights relied on a combination of clutch late-inning execution and stellar work on the mound to secure the narrow road victory.

Senior Owen Novak set the tone for Lincoln-Way Central with a brilliant start. Novak commanded the strike zone over 5.2 innings of work, allowing just one earned run on four hits while striking out seven batters and working around a pair of walks.

When Novak reached his limit in the sixth inning, senior Nolan Bartkus entered from the bullpen to extinguish any threat from the Hinsdale Central lineup. Bartkus pitched 1.1 scoreless innings in relief, scattering just one hit and striking out two to earn the victory and close out the game.

Offensively, senior Luke Tingley was the driving force for the Knights, turning in a superb 3-for-4 performance that included a pair of doubles. Junior Daniel Houston provided a major spark with a triple, eventually crossing the plate to account for one of the team’s two runs. Junior Tyler Arnold also delivered a crucial hit in his lone at-bat and scored the Knights’ other run.

Lincoln-Way Central struck first in the top of the second inning, scratching across a run to take a 1-0 advantage. Hinsdale Central answered in the bottom of the third, matching the visitors with a run to tie the game at 1-1.

From there, Novak and the Hinsdale Central pitching staff traded zeroes through the middle innings, maintaining the 1-1 deadlock until the final frame.

In the top of the seventh inning, Lincoln-Way Central finally broke the stalemate. The Knights manufactured the go-ahead run, utilizing their eight-hit attack to take a 2-1 lead. Bartkus then took the mound in the bottom half of the inning and confidently slammed the door, retiring the hosts to seal the 2-1 win.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• 2nd Inning: Lincoln-Way Central breaks the ice to take an early 1-0 lead.

• 3rd Inning: Hinsdale Central answers to tie the game at 1-1.

• 7th Inning: Lincoln-Way Central pushes across the decisive go-ahead run in the top half of the final frame.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Lincoln-Way Central: Luke Tingley (3-4, 2 2B); Daniel Houston (1-2, 1 3B, 1 R, 1 HBP); Tyler Arnold (1-1, 1 R); C. Lovingfoss (1-3); Conor McCabe (1-4); Brady Rossa (1 BB).

• Hinsdale Central: Statistics not provided (5 Team Hits).

PITCHING:

• Lincoln-Way Central: Owen Novak (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 K); Nolan Bartkus (W, 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K).

• Hinsdale Central: Statistics not provided.