Westmont Offense Erupts, Yenkin Dominates in 11-1 Win Over Peotone

Capitalizing on defensive miscues and timely hitting, the Westmont varsity baseball team secured a dominant 11-1 non-conference home victory over Peotone on Thursday afternoon.

Westmont (25-26) broke the game open early, pushing five runs across the plate in the bottom of the first inning to take a commanding lead. The hosts consistently put the ball in play and aggressively pressured the Peotone defense, which struggled throughout the abbreviated five-inning contest, committing six errors that resulted in nine unearned runs.

Peotone (25-26) managed to push a single run across in the top of the second inning to make it 5-1. Lincoln Tierney and Cole Peppers accounted for the only two hits for the visitors, both collecting singles. However, Westmont’s starting pitcher, Ricky Yenkin, shut the door on any potential comeback attempt. The junior ace was overpowering, tossing a complete game and allowing just one earned run on two hits over five innings. Yenkin struck out eight batters and walked four, effectively neutralizing the Peotone lineup.

Westmont’s offense sealed the victory with a six-run explosion in the bottom of the fourth inning, pushing the lead to 11-1 and triggering the mercy rule. P. Papadopoulos anchored the hosts at the plate, finishing a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Jake Carney contributed a hit, an RBI, a run scored, and a stolen base, while Jaxson Chinea added a double and an RBI. Alex Meyer also reached base multiple times, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

Cole Peppers took the loss for Peotone. The starter was victimized by the shaky defense behind him, allowing 11 runs (only two earned) on five hits over 3.1 innings of work, walking two and striking out two. Devin Lynch pitched the final two-thirds of an inning for the visitors, allowing one hit and zero runs.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• 1st Inning: Westmont’s offense strikes early, capitalizing on Peotone defensive errors to push five runs across the plate for a commanding 5-0 lead.

• 2nd Inning: Peotone scratches a run across to cut the deficit to 5-1.

• 4th Inning: Westmont erupts for a massive six-run inning, utilizing timely hitting and further Peotone miscues to establish an insurmountable 11-1 advantage and secure the mercy-rule victory.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Peotone: Lincoln Tierney 1-2, Cole Peppers 1-2 (1 R).

• Westmont: P. Papadopoulos 2-2 (2 RBI), Jake Carney 1-2 (1 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB), Jaxson Chinea 1-3 (1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 R), Alex Meyer 1-2 (1 RBI, 1 SB), Hank Barrett 1-3 (1 R, 1 SB), Ethan Kossak 1-3, Landon Hicks 1-2 (1 R).

PITCHING:

• Peotone: Cole Peppers (L) – 3.1 IP, 5 H, 11 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K; Devin Lynch – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.

• Westmont: Ricky Yenkin (W) – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 8 K.