St. Charles East’s coaching staff wasn’t quite sure what they were going to do on the mound for the second game of their series Friday against crosstown rival St. Charles North.
The first text went to sophomore Joey Arend, who had just celebrated his 16th birthday.
And Arend didn’t hesitate.
“I wanted the ball,” he said. “I knew we had to win this game going into it. I think playing North in front of our people, home crowd, I know I have the ability.
“It was just going out there and actually doing what I knew I could do.”
Arend took the ball and ran with it. He pitched the Saints to a 2-0 DuKane Conference win and also had their only hit, scoring an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Arend struck out eight in six-plus innings for St. Charles East (18-2, 13-1). He scattered five hits and a walk. Illinois recruit Jake Zitella scored an unearned run in the fourth.
Josh Caccia matched Arend for St. Charles North (16-6, 10-4) by carrying a no-hitter into the sixth. He ended up striking out six. Mike Buono reached base twice for the North Stars.
St. Charles East coach Len Asquini admired the confidence that Arend showed in asking for Friday’s starting assignment.
“We sent him a text and he said, ‘I want that ball — I want this game,'” Asquini said. “He’s so competitive. We knew he was going to compete and we’d have a chance.
“He just got his driver’s license two weeks ago. He’s done some great things for us.”
Using a three-pitch mix of change-ups, curveballs and fastballs, Arend didn’t have too many rough patches.
Singles from Colin Ryder and Brad Lins in the second inning put two on for the North Stars, but Arend got a strikeout to end the rally. He allowed back-to-back hits to start the sixth before being pulled in favor of James Brennan, who earned the save.
“He stayed around the zone with everything,” Asquini said of Arend. “He was able to get his secondary pitches over for strikes as well. You didn’t see too many way up here.
“The hitters were on edge.”
In the fourth, Zitella was hit by a pitch and raced to third on an errant pickoff throw. He scored on Brennan’s groundout, giving the Saints a 1-0 lead before they even had a hit.
Arend led off the sixth with a solid single to center, which ended up being St. Charles East’s lone hit. He scored on Mike Sharko’s squeeze bunt for a 2-0 lead.
“It feels really good,” Arend said. “These guys are everything. I love these guys, coming out and competing with them. Being able to help the team is just a good thing.”
St. Charles North coach Todd Genke was impressed with Arend’s performance.
“He was in the driver’s seat,” Genke said. “He mixed up his pitches. It’s hard to get our hitters out if you’re not doing that. I liked his moxie. He’s got a bright future.”
Genke was equally impressed with his own starter.
“He’s been one of our go-tos all year,” Genke said of Caccia. “He’s a solid pitcher. He has a three-pitch mix. He’s a competitor. We knew we had him going and we’ve won a lot of games with him on the mound.
“I love his bulldog attitude. He comes right at you. He’s unflappable. He certainly didn’t deserve to lose that game.”
A day after the Saints had their 14-game win streak snapped by the North Stars, Asquini was happy to see his team bounce back.
“This was a real nice ballgame for us,” Asquini said. “What a battle. I’m really happy for these guys.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.