Express Red Wins Battle of the Sandlot in Impressive Fashion

Written by Dennins Mahoney

Evan Acosta drove in two runs with a bases-loaded double and pitched a three-hitter Sunday as the Elgin-based Express Red team claimed the championship at the under-15 Lakeside Challenge tournament at Evanston with a 9-1 triumph over the Rawlings Prospects.

Acosta went the six-inning distance on the mound and faced only one batter over the minimum over the four frames. He struck out three and walked two.

Acosta doubled into the right field corner following consecutive walks to teammates Steve Busby, Connor Fedderly and Garrett Davis, chasing home two runs, and another run crossed in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Jake Lafrenz.

Express Red added two unearned runs in the second, then put the tournament slaughter rule into effect by pushing across four more runs on five hits in the top of the sixth. Busby's two-run triple and RBI singles by Fedderly and Davis put the game out of reach.

Busby, Fedderly, Davis and Acosta each had two hits for the winners. Rawlings, featuring players from the St. Louis area, scored its only run in the second on a one-out triple by Colin Pecoraro and a single by Steve Deckard.

In the semifinals, Express Red blanked New Trier Thunder Green 3-0 and Rawlings Prospects pounded out a 16-1 victory over Kane County Elite