Panthers’ Gendron tosses third CG, Gilbert delivers for Central
By Jason Arndt
Editor
Three days after Wilmot Union High School junior Kyle Gendron captured his third straight complete game victory in a pitcher’s duel against Westosha Central sophomore Austin Glidden, the Falcons returned the favor Friday at home, courtesy of a game-winning Garrett Gilbert double.
After the Panthers’ 3-1 win April 25, coach Josh Pye noted Gendron’s strong command of his pitches, and how Gendron has set the tone for the team.
“We are a strong team when he is on the mound,” said Pye.
Meanwhile, at Westosha Central on April 28, the Falcons came away with a 6-5 win after senior catcher Garrett Gilbert hit a two-out double to the warning track to score Parker Krumm from first base.
According to Gilbert, the home win was redemption for his Falcons’ squad, which entered the rivalry game with a refreshed attitude.
“We have faced a lot of adversity, we are kind of having trouble finding our identity as a team,” said Gilbert. “I think before the game, we had that extra edge, we had that chip on our shoulder.”
With the split, Westosha Central stands at 5-5 (2-3 SLC) while the Panthers hold a 4-5 (3-4 SLC) record to complete the week’s slate.
Gendron vs. Glidden
In the first matchup last week, both Gendron and Glidden pitched complete games, but the Panthers capitalized on Falcon fielding errors to give their pitcher his third consecutive win.
Gendron, who logged just 80 pitches, struck out four, walked one and allowed one earned run on seven hits through seven innings.
For Glidden, the Falcons’ sophomore nearly matched Gendron, logging 79 pitches, struck out seven, walked one and allowed one earned run on five hits in six innings.
Gendron, according to Panthers’ coach Josh Pye, showed precision on the mound.
“He hit his spots, he didn’t miss too many, I think he missed two pitches in this game,” Pye said.
After a scoreless first inning, the Panthers scored a run in the second and added two more the following frame to give Gendron a 3-0 lead.
In the second inning, junior A.J. Frisby, who advanced to first base on a hit by pitch, scored on a senior Ryley Orszula single to right center field.
The following inning, the Panthers added two more, courtesy of a run by Justin Paasch, who advanced on a fielding error, and a run-scoring double by Frisby to score Jacob Gerzel.
With a 3-0 edge, Gendron continued to stay ahead of the count, he said.
“I have been getting ahead in the county and keeping the ball down and away against hitters,” Gendron said. “My defense has been playing really good out there.”
Westosha Central, down 3-0 entering the top of the fifth inning, pulled the contest within two runs when Josh Leslie singled in Jack Schroeder.
Gilbert delivers in rubber match
Westosha Central, which scored two runs in first inning and three more in the third, jumped to a 5-0 lead before the visiting Panthers produced a five-run fifth inning to knot the contest at 5-5 April 28.
In his first career varsity start, Falcons’ sophomore Alex Salerno kept the Panthers’ off balance through his first four innings, but came into trouble in the fifth inning, where he allowed four runs (three earned) on one hit.
Falcons’ coach Jacob Morman credited Salerno, who walked five hitters, for holding the Panthers scoreless the first four innings.
“Alex pitched a really good game, struggled a bit that one inning, but he pitched a really good game in his first varsity start.”
Senior Parker Krumm, who scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning, was called in to relieve Salerno in the fifth inning.
“Parker did such a great job coming in,” said Falcons’ coach Jacob Morman. “We had a runner on second with one out and he got two great hitters out to keep the game tied.”
Krumm, who hit a leadoff single in the sixth inning, was brought home on a Gilbert two-out double to the warning track.
For Gilbert, he waited patiently for the fastball, which had been thrown at a higher frequency in Friday’s contest.
“They threw a lot more fastballs than I thought they would,” said Gilbert, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored. “I was just waiting for the fastball, and I got what I wanted, and just did what I could.”
When he found his pitch, delivered by Panthers’ Gunner Peterson, the ball went over the head of Gerzal in centerfield and landed on the warning track.
According to Morman, he planned to wave Krumm home, regardless of outcome.
“I was sending Parker no matter what,” he said.
Peterson, who tossed three innings, took the loss after he allowed one earned run on three hits.
Krumm (2 2/3-innings, unearned run, hit, strikeout, two walks) picked up the win for the Falcons.