As part of his preseason assessment, Thornwood coach John Dunlop listed pitching as the Thunderbirds` biggest weakness. Losing graduated seniors Mike Kundrat and Brian Harris would be a big blow, Dunlop reasoned.
Three weeks into the season, some talented young arms have turned any Thunderbird question marks into exclamation points. Saturday`s shutout sweep over Thornton Fractional South by scores of 4-0 and 2-0 gives Thornwood an 8-1 record and plenty of notoriety in the South Inter-Conference Association East. ”The way things look now, it`s pretty nice,” said Dunlop. ”We really weren`t too sure going into the season. We thought the pitchers might be good, but you never know until they get out there.”
Ed Young won the first game Saturday, and junior Craig Gronowski allowed one hit over six innings in the nightcap. Jon Dunlop, the coach`s son who is 1-0, relieved Gronowski.
”The guys who got the wins just got them because they were the starters,” Dunlop said. ”We usually have a guy go four or five innings then bring in someone else. We don`t have an overpowering No. 1 pitcher like Jason Zimbauer of Andrew. If we do have a No. 1, I guess it`s Fred Schuerg (a junior who`s 1-0).”
Eric Fischer and Bob Mokus round out the Thunderbirds` staff.
Offensively, catcher Tony Reda and junior outfielder Dave McNally were each 3 for 6 in the double-header.
Benet 12-13, Marmion Military 2-2-Dennis Krob hit a homer, triple and had five RBIs, while his brother, junior Doug, alllowed five hits in the first game for Benet (13-3, 4-0). Playing shortstop in the nightcap, Doug Krob hit a homer, doubled and drove in five runs. Pete Loska three-hit Marmion to win Game 2.
Maine South 13-7, Schurz 2-3-The Hawks (8-4) showed balance in their sweep over Schurz. In the first game, Maine South outfielders Jim Rushford and Paddy Driscoll were both 3 for 4 with one RBI. Infielder Jeff Church duplicated those stats in the nightcap, with infielder Bob Scafa going 2 for 4 with one RBI.
Harlan 9, Juarez 1-The hitting of Jerome Hawthorne (2 for 3, three RBIs)
and pitching of Sam Johnson (eight strikeouts, two hits) led Harlan (9-4).
Illiana Christian 1-0, Luther North 0-3-Pete Zeldenrust had the Game 1 shutout for Illiana (3-2, 2-1), while Bobby Ramos turned the tables for Luther (12-5, 4-2) in the nightcap of the Private School League battle.
Notre Dame 8, Niles West 1-Al Wolnik pitched a one-hitter and was 3 for 4 with one RBI for the fourth-ranked Dons (9-4). Junior Dan Divis went 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Addison Trail 3-2, Hinsdale Central 2-13-John Mendoza tossed a five-hitter for the Blazers (8-5) in the opener. Rick Larbon`s two-run single with two out in the top of the seventh scored Mendoza and Steve Maynard.
Senn 5-4, Highland Park 2-17-In the nightcap, Highland Park (3-9-1)
scored 15 runs in the second inning, batting around twice. Thom Powers and Todd Leadingham each had a two-run double and drove in three runs, and Jimmy Castelli and Terry Platt drove in two runs apiece in the inning.
Richards 11-10, Eisenhower 3-5-Richards (6-4) swept the SICA North double-header. Bill Shannon had three hits and two runs batted in the first game and Boyd Burke had two hits and was the winning pitcher in Game 2.
More Top Picks Best Amazon Prime Day Miele Vacuum Deals 2026
Carmel 11-10, Waukegan West 6-6-In Game 1, Jim Cooney won his first varsity start, scattering six hits and fanning four for unbeaten (12-0)
Carmel. Sean McInerney had three RBIs. Eric Maloney and Dale Carlson each had a pair of hits and two RBIs in the nightcap.
Waubonsie Valley 4-11, Geneva 1-3-Mike Fagerson ran his record to 3-0 in the first game for the undefeated (10-0, 2-0) Warriors.
Andrew 15-5, St. Laurence 7-4-Jason Zimbauer didn`t pitch either game but starred in the opener with a 3-for-5 performance for the No. 2
Thunderbolts. Included in his output was a grand slam and five RBIs. Kevin Sefcik went 2 for 3 and batted in three runs. Jim Higgins` suicide scored Stan Tencza the seventh to win the nightcap. St. Laurence is 10-3.
Lincoln-Way 7-11, Hillcrest 2-7-Mark Kalinowski ran his record to 4-0 in the opener, while Mark Waskow won Game 2 for the Knights (7-1). Standout outfielder Jason Robertson was 1 for 4 on the day for Hillcrest (6-4).