Baseball: Chicago Christian Breaks Away Early

Touching All the Bases: Chicago Christian has been playing excellent baseball as of late, and the Knights needed just the first inning to break things open against Beecher on Friday in Palos Heights.

The Knights sent 12 men to the plate and scored eight runs in that first inning. The big blow came off the bat of center fielder Jon Lemmenes, who roped a bases-loaded triple into deep left to break the game open at 8-0. All but one Knights hitter reached base safely in the inning.

The Knights added a run in the fourth on a solo homer by Jeremy Kamp, and Luke Coffman’s two-run double in the fifth expanded the lead as the host team cruised to an 11-1 victory.

Patch MVP: Jeremy Kamp was excellent on the mound and at the plate. He earned the win, going 4 1/3 innings, striking out eight and giving up one unearned run on three hits and a walk. At the plate, he was 2-for-3 with a single, a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Chicago Christian’s Leaders: In addition to Jeremy Kamp: Mike Kamp (2-for-2, 2 walks, 2 singles, 2 runs), Luke Coffman (2-for-2, 2 walks, single, double, 2 RBIs, run), Jon Lemmenes (1-for-3, triple, 3 RBIs, reached on error).

Beecher’s Leaders: Jake Krabbe (2-for-3, single, double, RBI), Josh Harris (1-for-2, single, walk), Kelvin Redus (1-for-1, single, walk).

Quotable: Chicago Christian coach Eric Brauer: “The big hit in the (first) inning was Jon Lemmenes clearing the bases on that triple. It was 2-0 then and that made it 5-0. Jeremy Kamp did a nice job, too, by setting the tone."

Team Records: Chicago Christian improved to 27-5. Beecher fell to 15-9.

What's Next: Chicago Christian travels to Herscher on Monday and could eventually face Beecher in the regional late next week.