OAK CREEK, Wis. – Fueled by a strong bullpen and clutch hitting late, the Stormers were able to extend their winning streak to three games following a 5-4 home victory over College of Lake County Thursday.

The win not only helped move MATC to 16-13 and 8-11 in Region 4 play, but it also helped them get back to .500% at home with a 5-5 record on its home turf.

"Overall, it's a good feeling to win, especially to win at home, where we've been struggling," Stormers head coach Caleb Bounds said. "It was good to get that monkey off our backs and get a home win against another Region 4 team."

MATC's offense totaled 12 hits, nine of which came from nine different hitters. However, they struggled to score with runners in scoring position early on. Prior to the eighth inning, the Stormers were just 2-for-9 with RISP.

That all changed in the eighth inning, where MATC finished the inning going 2-for-3 with RISP. The momentum was created off three straight singles, which helped plate two runs to take a pivotal 5-3 lead late. With Lucas Hernandez (single) on first and Brady Johnson (reached on an error) on second with only one out while facing a 1-2 count at the plate, pinch hitter Ryan Quello clutched up to barrel a single in the hole, helping score Johnson to break the 3-3 tie and give his squad a one-run lead.

"My approach as a pinch hitter was to just do a job," Quello said of his go-ahead RBI single in the eighth. "I just choked up and thought to put the ball in play and find a hole. It felt pretty good to come up big for my team, especially since I was sitting down the whole game prior."

One batter later, Robert Crawford III delivered another clutch RBI single to left field that proved to be the difference after the Lancers were able to plate a run in the ninth before being dealt a 5-4 road loss.

"I believe Crawford III got the very next hit after Quello to get us that insurance run," Bounds said. "That was the difference in the ball game. The fact that we didn't just get one run, but we got two, it really helps you and puts you in a way better situation."

A key part in the Stormers' ability to walk away from CLC with a close win was due to the grittiness of reliever Ethan Engelbrecht. The freshman right-handed reliever dug himself into a sticky situation after loading the bases via a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch with two outs in the ninth. It was at this point Engelbrecht surrendered his only run of the evening via a walk to cut the Stormers' lead to 5-4. Feeling the pressure mounting, Engelbrecht delivered three straight strikes to Aidan Roessler to effectively end the game with the Lancers' leaving three ducks on the pond.

"Engelbrecht comes in really tough situations and today I guess he wanted to make himself have one on his own," Bounds said jokingly. "He's been great and he's done it all year long…he went out there and did it again for us today to get the win."

Engelbrecht finished the evening allowing one earned run on one hit while striking out seven and walking two over three innings. His strong outing mirrored Stormers' starter Luke Klekamp, who had another stellar outing. Klekamp earned the no-decision after firing six strong innings, where he suffered three runs (one earned) on five hits with nine punchouts.

"I told Klekamp we are going to get him a win at some point," Bounds said. "This is a step in the right direction. He went from getting two complete-game losses to now getting a no-decision. He's been great all year long."

CLC plated two runs in the fifth off three singles to take a 2-0 lead, but the Stormers managed to counter with a two-run fifth of their own. Camden Jansen got things going with a one-out single and later scored on an RBI triple from Marco Falletti. Trailing 2-1, Cole Wissen plated Falletti on a single to left field to knot things up at two runs a piece going into the sixth.

Both teams traded runs again in the sixth inning. CLC scored on a passed ball with runners on second and third to take a 4-3 lead.  In the ensuing half inning, MATC forced a 4-4 tie after an RBI single by Lucas Hernandez.

STAT BOOK
Hernandez went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored to lead the Stormers at the plate. Falletti added two hits, one RBI, and one run. Quello contributed a go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning as a pinch hitter. Easton Morehouse, Carlito Collins, Johnson, Wissen, and Jansen each had one single apiece. Crawford III chipped in an RBI single and one stolen base. Klekamp struck out nine over six innings in a no-decision effort on the bump.

UP NEXT
MATC (16-13) will host Waubonsee for a doubleheader beginning at noon Friday.