Waddups, Vikings get first win of the year

The Glen Oaks Community College baseball team held on for a 6-5 victory in nine innings over Rend Lake College Saturday in Game 1 of a doubleheader in Illinois — marking the first career win for Head Coach Tucker Waddups as a college coach and first victory at this level for a gang of hungry new Vikings. 

After being swept by Rend Lake the day before, Glen Oaks bounced back Saturday with a 5-1 lead through five innings. But the Warriors closed the gap in a hurry, scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game. After a scoreless seventh and eighth innings by both sides, Glen Oaks got what it needed in the ninth. 

Andrew Thorpe came up with a clutch RBI single that would win the game for the Vikings. Steven Drewyor tripled to right field to start the inning. And with one out, Thorpe delivered a hard ground ball to left field to send Drewyor home for a 6-5 advantage. The Vikings nearly added to that lead after Jayden Hamilton walked and Andrew Onuegbu singled to left to load the bases with only one out. But a double play by Rend Lake ended the threat. 

Brady Mescher got the start for Glen Oaks and he gave up five earned runs on eight hits through 5 ⅔ innings. He struck out six and walked three before being relieved by Onuegbu, who gave up just two hits the rest of the way. Onuegbu collected two strikeouts and walked four for the win. 

The Vikings went up 1-0 in the second inning after Peyton Simmons singled and stole second. Daniel Vizthum singled to left field to drive in Simmons. 

Simmons singled again in the fourth and scored on a Tyler Norris triple to make 2-0 Glen Oaks. Erick Marin followed with a single to bring Norris home, and with two outs, Brayden Clark connected on a grounder toward third that scored Marin to make it 4-0. Rend Lake finally put a run on the board in the home half of the inning to make it 4-1. 

A Hamilton single in the fifth turned out to be huge minutes later. He'd move to second after Simmons poked one to right field for a single. Norris delivered again with a line drive to left and Hamilton made his way home to give the Vikings a 5-1 lead. Little did the Vikings know they'd need every bit of that advantage in the next inning. 

The Warriors went to work in the sixth. After a passed ball, RBI single, a walk and a wild pitch, Rend Lake had the bases loaded with two outs. The Warriors were able to get two more RBI singles off Mescher to end his day and make it a 5-4 Glen Oaks lead. Rend Lake would tie the game on an Onuegbu wild pitch. 

Simmons finished the game with three hits, Norris and Hamilton both had two, and Drewyor, Clark, Thorpe, Onuegbu, Marin and Vizthum all had one. Clark stole two bases for the Vikings.