Stellar pitching helps Saukees regain their footing, end Mustangs’ win streak

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Mired in a midseason slump, the Pittsfield baseball team needed a turn-things-around moment.

Ending Mendon Unity’s 13-game win streak may be it.

Two Saukees combined to limit the Mustangs to two hits, and a five-run fifth inning helped propel Pittsfield to a 9-0 victory Saturday. The Saukees had lost three of their previous four games, allowing 26 runs in the process.

However, Justin Pennock struck out six, walked one and allowed two hits over four innings. Brennan Tomhave followed with three scoreless, hitless innings as he struck out six and walked one.

Pennock helped himself in the third inning with a two-out, two-run double. In the fifth, the Saukees (15-4) loaded the bases with consecutive walks to Lane Foster, Luke Saxe and Tomhave. A sacrifice fly by Pennock plated the first run, and after Konnor Allen walked to reload the bases, a passed ball and an error allowed three runs to score. A wild pitch brought home the final run of the inning.

A Tomhave RBI double and a Pennock RBI single in the sixth plated the final two runs.

Unity (14-3) used four pitchers, limiting starter Cody Shaffer to two innings and 28 pitches. He had four strikeouts, no walks and no hits allowed. Simon Rabe and Shaffer had back-to-back, one-out singles in the first inning for the Mustangs, who didn’t have a hit thereafter.

The Mustangs hadn’t lost since March 16 and are in the midst of a busy stretch of games against top-level competition. Monday, Unity travels to Quincy Notre Dame (7-10) before playing host to Illini West (15-3) on Tuesday.