Ellis Machin takes a lead off of second base in the Panthers' CCC victory Tuesday. Machin had a double, three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base, while KKC shortstop Courtney Ayers singled and drove in two runs.
Ellis Machin takes a lead off of second base in the Panthers' CCC victory Tuesday. Machin had a double, three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base, while KKC shortstop Courtney Ayers singled and drove in two runs.

Baseball

Olive-Harvey Baseball Victorious Over Kennedy-King in CCC Showdown; Ortiz Totals 14 Strikeouts

CHICAGO – In the first matchup between two CCC baseball teams since the 1990s, Olive-Harvey defeated Kennedy-King 8-5 on Tuesday at West Chatham Park.

OHC (3-4) did all of its scoring in the bottom half of the first.  After the inning started with back-to-back walks, Gabriel Cordoba (Merida, Puerto Rico) homered to left-center field to give the hosts a quick 3-0 lead.

Courtney Wiggins (Eisenhower H.S.) extended the advantage to 4-0 when he was issued a bases-loaded walk.  Ellis Machin (Caguas, Puerto Rico) followed with a bases-clearing double to make it 7-0.  An error led to the final run.

Kennedy-King, making its season debut, began to get on track after the first inning.

Rashaan Morris (Thornridge H.S.) had the Statesmen’s first hit and RBI of the contest, tripling home a run in the second inning before scoring on Courtney Ayers’ (Hales Franciscan H.S.) single to slice the lead to 8-2.

KKC added two more runs in the seventh inning.  Aryk Banks (Oak Lawn Richards H.S.) led off with a single and scored on Byron Munoz’s (Marian Catholic H.S.) double.  Trent Roberts (Leo H.S.) doubled in Munoz two batters later.

Morris opened the eighth inning with his second triple of the day.  Ayers knocked him in with a ground out to third, which narrowed the lead to 8-5.

With the tying run at the plate in the eighth for Kennedy-King, reliever Gabe Adams (Countryside H.S./Clearwater, Fla.) got out of the inning with a strikeout.  He pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save.

Olive-Harvey starter Jose Ortiz (Caguas, Puerto Rico) pitched five innings to pick up his first win of the year.  The first 14 outs registered by the right-hander were strikeouts.  The only out on a ball hit in play was a come-backer to Ortiz to end the fifth inning.

Luis Flores (Junios, Puerto Rico) fanned four in 2.2 innings of work, while Adams had three punchouts in the final 1.1 innings.  In all, the three Panther hurlers combined for 21 strikeouts.

Along with going 3-for-4 with two triples, two runs, one RBI and one stolen base, Morris pitched six shutout innings in relief for the Statesmen, striking out eight.

Sergio Olivares (Macay, Venezuela) accounted for three of Kennedy-King’s 10 hits in the game.  Cordoba and Wiggins had two apiece.

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