Baseball: Hermeling, Spartans Overcome Tilson Blast

Led by starting pitcher Alex Hermeling, Glenbrook North baseball just keeps cranking out wins. 

Saturday's game was no exception, when the Spartans found a way to beat New Trier 2-1 in eight innings at Duke Child’s Fields in Winnetka. It was GBN’s second straight extra inning victory and improved their record to 18-1 and 7-0 in the Central Suburban League.

Starting pitcher Alex Hermeling was on top of his game, striking out 11 without walking a batter.

“I thought he pitched the best game the entire year,” said catcher Jason Scholl. “He’s an unbelievable pitcher and his command today was better than I’ve ever seen. I mean, he was hitting spots like no other.

“All day was Alex was just unbelievable. I couldn’t say more good things about him.”

Scholl walked to start the second inning and pinch runner Cody Phipps scored on a Doug Mazewski groundout. That run remained the only one for either team until the bottom of the seventh.

Both pitchers went the full eight innings. New Trier starter John Cook struck out ten batters.

Hermeling’s only mistake came with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Pro prospect Charlie Tilson stepped up to the plate as the Trevians’ last hope. Tilson was 1-3 with two strikeouts entering that at-bat, but crushed a fastball over the centerfield fence for a tying home run.

“He’s a great hitter,” Hermeling said. “He’s got scouts coming out to watch him every day. I think I left it up a little bit. I got it outside, but I left it over the heart of the plate a little bit too much. Good hitters will hit mistakes and that’s exactly what he did.”

In extras, the Spartans quickly turned things around.

Brett Synek (2-3) led off the eighth with a single. Sean Thomas sacrificed and Chad Bruce drew a walk to set the stage for Scholl to give his team the lead. Scholl said ‘doubles’ to the GBN dugout before his at-bat and followed through by blasting a double in the right-centerfield gap to score Synek.

“It’s ... been a little routine that me and Alex Hermeling picked up,” Scholl said. “He always thinks I kind of take some big swings. It started a few weeks ago that every time I go up there he’d asked me what I’m going to do. I’d respond with 'doubles' and it worked out pretty well.

“(Cook) was throwing us curveballs the entire game so I knew with that 3-2 count that he wanted to come back with a curve. I did my best to wait back on it.”

In the bottom half of the inning, Hermeling got Tommy Blanchard to line out to Brad Ruchman, who doubled up Eric West at first base to end the game.

Coach Dom Savino said senior leadership is a big reason why the team is so successful this year. Hermeling, a senior, remained focused after giving up the lead.

“Alex had great composure on the mound,” Savino said. “Showed a ton of poise out there. We want the baseball in his hands in that situation and you can see why. It was how he responded to what happened with two outs in the seventh. He went right back to work and took care of business with a very professional approach and that’s what he brings to this team.”

Hermeling said the team came in with a different approach to the game because they wanted to beat New Trier. That seemed to bring the best out of the Spartan ace.

“I was getting my pitches to break,” Hermeling said. “Curveball was breaking. I was spotting my fastball better than I have all year. I was just letting them hit the ball and I trusted my defense. They made some big plays for me.”

The Spartans will try to keep the winning mojo at Glenbrook South on Monday.

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GBN (18-1, 7-0)

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New Trier (12-6, 4-3)

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