The rivalry between the Lane Tech Indians baseball team and the Roberto Clemente Wildcats continued Tuesday, this time with a conference title on the line.
The Indians (16-11, 12-0) edged the Wildcats 1-0 at Horner Park, and clinched the Chicago Public League conference title. The victory was backed by a stellar pitching performance from junior right-hander Jack McLaughlin, who went 7 innings and gave up only 2 hits while striking out 6 and not allowing a walk. The rivalry between Lane and Clemente (15-5, 9-3), along with the fact that the Wildcats were the only team standing between the Indians and a conference title, gave McLaughlin plenty of motivation to throw a gem.
“I was thinking about it all day,” he said. “I just had it today. We haven’t beaten them in three years, so I had alot of incentive to go out there and pitch well. My defense was behind me and made alot of great plays, and that gave me the confidence to go out there and throw strikes.”
Shortstop Ari Harris knocked in the lone run for Lane with an RBI single to score center-fielder Matt Delanty with 1 out in the 3rd inning. Harris finished the day 1-for-3 with an RBI, while Delanty was 2-for-3 with 2 stolen bases and a run scored.
As the Indians close out the regular season as Chicago Public League champions and begin to prepare for the city playoffs, McLaughlin is proud to help Lane live up to their motto every day.
“It feels amazing,” he said. “Lane Tech always has a standard of being the school of champions. That’s how we played today, and that’s how we played the whole season.”
