Baseball results

ELGIN — Some wins are bigger than others, and this one ranked pretty highly for Aurora Christian.
The Eagles scored eight times in the first two innings and went on to beat defending Class 1A state champion Westminster Christian 9-3 in non-conference action Friday night at Judson University.
“We defeated teams handily that haven’t been very great,” Aurora Christian right fielder Brent Minta said. “But getting a solid win against a team that’s ranked in the state under our belts is just a great thing for our team.”
Especially considering the clubs could be on a collision course once the IHSA playoffs start next month. Westminster has moved up to Class 2A this season and is in the Benedictine University Sectional along with Aurora Christian.
“We know they’re a tough team with those two arms they’ve got,” Eagles coach Andy Zorger said of juniors Ryan Perez and Kevin Elder, who were all-state picks a year ago. “We expect to see them (again).”
Perez led off the game with a double and eventually scored on Elder’s groundout to put Westminster (6-5) up 1-0 in the top of the first. But Aurora Christian capitalized on a couple of Warriors errors to score five in the bottom of the inning.
Minta slugged an RBI double and Kenny McCracken and Todd Clapp followed with run-scoring singles to highlight the rally.
The Eagles got three more in the bottom of the second on Minta’s two-run single and McCracken’s sacrifice fly.
“We’ve been on a little roll here,” Zorger said. “We swung the bats well and got good pitching.”
Lefty Bobby Kuntzendorf (3-0) made the lead stand up, working 6 2/3 innings and allowing three runs on five hits for the win. He struck out eight and walked two, both in the seventh.
“He didn’t have his best stuff, but was able to not give up too many hard-hit balls,” Zorger said. “He settled in, got his curveball over for strikes.”
Dylan Scully led off the third inning for Westminster with a homer to right-center to make it 8-2.
Aurora Christian made it 9-2 in the sixth on Josh Haugen’s RBI single off Perez, the Warriors’ ambidextrous standout. Perez threw a 15-strikeout no-hitter left-handed Tuesday against Rockford East and worked four innings right-handed on Friday, fanning nine and allowing two hits and a run.
“We realize we can hit him,” Minta said. “When we face them in the playoffs ... It’s important to know we have the confidence and ability to hit him.”
Scully walked and scored on a wild pitch in the seventh for the final margin before Mitch Holtz relieved Kuntzendorf and got the last out.
Minta finished 2-for-4 with a run and three RBIs. Jake Hanson was 2-for-4 with two runs for the Eagles.
Perez went 2-for-4 with a run for Westminster. Starter Ben Stevenson (0-2) took the loss.

-Courier News' Mike Clark