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Top-ranked Liggett shows no mercy on Lutheran Northwest

Dan Stickradt | May 6, 2011 | Comments (1)

LOOKING UP: Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest's Colin Sheehan (No.11) glances towards the umpire after putting the tag on Grosse Pointe Woods University-Liggett's Nate Weiss during Thursday's MIAC Blue Division contest.Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

ROCHESTER HILLS — Grosse Pointe Woods University-Liggett has long been a small-school powerhouse in baseball. By the Knights’ standards, last year’s fourth-place finish in the MIAC Blue Division was a rebuilding year that was tough to swallow.

Apparently, the Knights have found of cure of its one-year hiccup.

The top-ranked team in Division 4, Liggett remained unbeaten Thursday by showing no mercy on host Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest in a 21-1 victory.

The Knights put together a 20-hit performance, including a pair of three-run homers, and went through five Northwest pitchers in the five-inning affair.

Liggett (8-0, 5-0) chased Northwest starter Luke McCatty (3-2) after two innings, building a 6-0 lead by that time. Reliever Chad Cook couldn’t halt the Knights’ vaunted attack, as it was 9-0 when he departed in the top of the fourth. Three other Crusaders spent time on the mound with no success in derailing the state’s top team.

DIGGING DEEP: Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest's Justin Novack races towards third base during Thursday's contest. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

“I think we have a team that should contend for the league (title) and maybe make a run in the postseason,” said Liggett coach Dan Cimini. “That’s always our goal.

“I remember they beat us (7-4) early last season and we came back and beat them 10-0 later in the season,” continued Cimini. “I expected that they would give us more of a challenge this time around because they have two good pitchers. But we got to him early and took them out of the game after a couple of innings.

The Knights led 11-1 through four innings and tacked on a 10-spot in the top of the fifth to defeat a team that they split with last season.

“This is what we are capable of doing. We just haven’t been hitting on all cylinders offensively until today,” noted Cimini. “We know we have just about everybody back from last year and one really good transfer. We feel that this may be our year. I think anything less than getting to Battle Creek would be a disappointment, but anything can happen. A few years ago we were undefeated and lost in the regional finals.”

Against Northwest, the Knights looked like a seasoned team that will be tough to beat. Conner Faminen had a sac fly and Carl Cohatari smacked a two-run double to put the Knights in control at 3-0 in the top of the first inning — and that was just the beginning.

Mark Auk added another sac fly to make it 4-0 and Dominic Jamett followed with an RBI double and Faminen an RBI single to make it 6-0 before there were even two outs in the top of the second.

Joe Simon slammed a three-run blast with no outs in the third frame to put the game out of reach. Faminen capped the scoring in the fifth when he laced a three-run round-tripper, part of the 10-run outbreak.

Faminen finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and five RBI. Simon was 2-for-3, scored three times and had four RBI and Nate Weiss added three hits, scored twice and drove in four runs for University-Liggett.

Weiss pitched four solid innings for Liggett, giving up only two hits and allowing only five total base-runners, including two that reached base on errors. He struck out five and walked none.

Northwest (4-4, 2-2) scored its only run in the fourth on an RBI groundout by Eric Mischley, which trimmed the deficit to 9-1.

FASTBALL: University-Liggett's Nate Weiss delivers this pitch during his two-hit victory against Lutheran Northwest. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

“I have to give credit to Liggett. They are older, more experienced. They have great experience and senior leadership. That’s why they are a great team,” said Northwest coach Mario Borrocci. “The problem we have is the opposite. Some has to do with a lack of experience. We make a lot of mental mistakes that should not be made. We have to learn by it and move forward.”

NOT THIS TIME: Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest's Luke McCatty didn't have his best stuff Thursday, being chased after two innings of work. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt