Rossa’s Five RBIs, 14-Hit Attack Power Lincoln-Way Central Past Wilmington 11-5

WILMINGTON, Ill. — Behind a massive offensive performance from senior Brady Rossa and a relentless 14-hit team attack, the Lincoln-Way Central varsity baseball team overpowered host Wilmington 11-5 in a non-conference matchup on Thursday afternoon.

The Knights wasted no time setting the tone, pushing a run across in the top of the first inning before breaking the game wide open with a six-run explosion in the second. The early offensive surge provided the visitors with a commanding 7-0 advantage that proved to be insurmountable.

Rossa was the centerpiece of the Lincoln-Way Central lineup, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a game-high five RBIs. Sophomore Des Gill and senior Conor McCabe also tormented the Wilmington pitching staff, identically recording three hits in four at-bats. Gill scored three times and drove in a run, while McCabe crossed the plate twice and tallied two RBIs.

Senior Shawn Mowry provided the most explosive swing of the afternoon for the Knights, launching a two-run home run in his only official at-bat. Senior Luke Tingley added a multi-hit game of his own, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base.

Staring at a heavy early deficit, Wilmington attempted to battle back in the middle innings. The Wildcats scored three runs in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth, highlighted by a home run from senior Ryan Kettman, who finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Despite the hosts’ mid-game rally, Lincoln-Way Central’s pitching duo of Grady Flannigan and Patrick Mayhugh successfully managed the lead in the five-inning contest. Flannigan started the game, allowing two earned runs over two innings. Mayhugh took over from there and earned the victory, striking out four batters over three innings of relief to secure the 11-5 win.

Critically, the Knights played flawlessly on defense, committing zero errors to support their pitching staff and completely stifle Wilmington’s comeback attempts.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• 1st Inning: Lincoln-Way Central opens the scoring with a single run.

• 2nd Inning: Lincoln-Way Central erupts for six runs to build a commanding 7-0 lead.

• 3rd Inning: Lincoln-Way Central adds two runs in the top half. Wilmington answers with its first three runs of the game in the bottom half.

• 4th Inning: Wilmington tacks on two more runs to cut into the deficit.

• 5th Inning: Lincoln-Way Central answers with a pair of insurance runs to cap the game’s scoring.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Lincoln-Way Central: Brady Rossa (2-4, 1 2B, 5 RBI); Conor McCabe (3-4, 2 RBI, 2 R); Des Gill (3-4, 1 RBI, 3 R); Luke Tingley (2-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB); Shawn Mowry (1-1, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R); Connor Kelch (1-3, 1 R, 1 BB); Daniel Houston (1-4, 1 R); C. Lovingfoss (1-2, 1 R, 1 BB); Austin Welch (2 BB, 1 HBP).

• Wilmington: Ryan Kettman (2-3, 1 HR, 2 R); Declan Moran (1-3, 1 2B); Brysen Meents (1-2, 1 R); Dierks Geiss (1-2); Cooper Holman (1-3); Zach Ohlund (1 R, 1 BB); Caius Drown (1 BB); Nash Rink (1 BB).

PITCHING:

• Lincoln-Way Central: Patrick Mayhugh (W, 3.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K); Grady Flannigan (2.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K).

• Wilmington: Dane VanDuyne (L, 1.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 0 K); Dierks Geiss (3.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K); Brysen Meents (0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K).