Guerrero’s Walk-Off Lifts Eureka to Game 2 Victory

EUREKA, Ill. – A walk-off single by Jon Leon Guerrero lifted the Eureka baseball team to a thrilling Game 2 win on Tuesday at Henry Sand Field, salvaging a SLIAC doubleheader split with Greenville.

GAME 1 – Greenville 15, Eureka 5 (7 Innings)

Greenville took Game 1 behind a pair of five-run innings and a late surge that ended the game early via the mercy rule.

The Red Devils held a brief lead in the third thanks to a five-run rally. Ben Perrine (Payson, Ill./Payson Seymour) opened the scoring on a passed ball, followed by a Conor Fitzpatrick (North Barrington, Ill./Barrington) RBI single. With the bases loaded, Mike Dunne (Bartonville, Ill./Limestone) and Brandt King (Rockford, Ill./Stillman Valley) drew walks to plate two more, and Joshua Frenden (New Port Richey, Fla./River Ridge) scored on another passed ball to make it 5-2.

Greenville responded immediately with five in the fourth and another five in the fifth, capitalizing on defensive miscues and timely hitting. A three-run homer in the seventh capped off a dominant showing.

GAME NOTES

• Noah Company (Le Roy, Ill./Le Roy) had a hit, a run, and a stolen base.
• Conor Fitzpatrick posted one hit, one run, one RBI, and a stolen base.
• Mike Dunne chipped in a hit, RBI, and a walk.
• Sheldon Geuvens (Eureka, Ill./Eureka) struck out three across three innings of work.

GAME 2 – Eureka 5, Greenville 4

Jon Leon Guerrero (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak) walked it off in the bottom of the ninth to give Eureka a dramatic 5-4 win and close the day on a high note.

With the score tied and the pressure mounting, Grant Hackney (Morton, Ill./Morton) led off the final frame with a double. After advancing to third, the stage was set—and Guerrero delivered, ripping a single into center field to score the winning run and send the Red Devils pouring onto the field in celebration.

Earlier in the game, Guerrero had already made an impact. He scored Eureka's first run in the opening inning on a double by Joshua Frenden, then drove in another in the fifth with a go-ahead RBI single. Eureka added insurance in the sixth on a sac fly from David Hidden (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria), and though Greenville clawed back within one in the eighth, Guerrero's ninth-inning magic sealed the win.

GAME NOTES

• Jon Leon Guerrero starred with a 3-for-5 day, including a double and two RBIs, capped off by the walk-off game winner.
• Mike Dunne was a two-way force, going 7 2/3 innings on the mound with just one earned run and three strikeouts, and contributing an RBI single.
• Conor Fitzpatrick added two hits and a run scored.
• Grant Hackney's leadoff double in the ninth set up the game-winning sequence.

UP NEXT

Eureka returns to Henry Sand Field this weekend for a three-game series against MUW. First pitch is scheduled for Saturday at 12:00 p.m.