Gavin Persson, Ryan O’Connor go deep as Plainfield North blows past Oswego East

OSWEGO – Gavin Persson expected a big day for Plainfield North’s bats the way the wind was blowing Monday, but there are some swings that don’t require help from the elements.

Persson’s, for example.

“I knew it was gone, even without the wind,” Persson said. “Off the bat it’s a great feeling. See it fly.”

Persson’s three-run homer, a no-doubter to center, capped off Plainfield North’s seven-run third inning. Ryan O’Connor hit a two-run shot earlier in the inning, and the Tigers went on to a 16-2, five-inning win at Oswego East in the first of a three-game Southwest Prairie West series.

Plainfield North (14-6, 3-1) scored five in the second, seven in the third and four in the fifth, banging out 15 hits.

“It was that kind of day,” Persson said.

Persson doubled in two runs and O’Connor doubled in a run in the fifth, no surprise to Plainfield North coach John Darlington.

“Those two and [Brendan] Henderson have hit the ball well for us all season, consistently,” Darlington said. “They’ve had good consistent at-bats for the most part. They’re all seniors. That’s the way they should play.”

Persson had reached on a dropped fly ball his first at-bat, allowing two runs to score. Next time, he went with an outside offering and crushed his homer to straight center for a 12-0 lead. It’s the third of the season for the UW Oshkosh commit.

“It’s always the goal to hit singles but you get that pitch to hit, let it fly,” Persson said. “They were pitching us away a little. Hit the ball where it is pitched to center and right. Feels good that practice is paying off.”

Darlington doesn’t need to worry about whether Persson will put in the extra work. He was brought up to varsity as a sophomore, and played last season but missed the stretch run in conference with a concussion.

“He’s been a heck of a worker for us,” Darlington said. “He didn’t finish out the year for us in the conference, but he just works, is a kid in the weight room, getting extra swings. I guarantee he’ll go home tonight, he will hit in the cage and keep working.”

Oswego East (8-13, 0-4), on the other hand, is working to get itself out of a recent rut.

The Wolves won six straight games in early April, but since then have lost eight of nine, including a nine-inning loss to Ballard, the No. 1-ranked team in Kentucky.

On Monday they committed three errors in the field, issued seven walks on the mound and managed just four hits at the plate.

“That’s kind of the way it’s been for the last couple weeks. We’re experiencing that lull,” Oswego East coach Brian Schaeffer said. “We made some mental mistakes and you compound that with the physical errors. I think they were pressing a little bit.”

Sophomore shortstop Jacsen Tucker continued to be a bright spot.

Honorable mention all-conference after posting a .994 OPS as a freshman shortstop on varsity, Tucker hit a solo homer to center in the third for Oswego East’s first run. Niko Villacci singled in the other run.

“Jacsen, the way I’d describe him this year has been silent but deadly,” Schaeffer said. “Last year he came up, he was flashy. He’s still hitting .350, he’s getting on base, hitting the baseball hard. The guys behind him are just struggling a little. We keep telling them we need that one to get us back into it.”

Chase Holtzman also went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and an RBI in support of Plainfield North starting pitcher Will Burke, who struck out five and allowed two runs on four hits over five innings.

Luca Agne and Mateo Tristan turned a slick double play in the fifth to finish it off.

“Hit some balls hard, I thought our kid threw it well for the most part, great double play from our two guys in the middle,” Darlington said. “When you hit like we did it allows you to relax a little more.”