Conor Essenburg homered twice and drove in six runs as Lincoln-Way West shut out Marist 9-0 on Wednesday at Marist High School. Essenburg's home runs came in the fifth and seventh innings.
According to the game summary, Lincoln-Way West broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning with two home runs. Essenburg launched a two-run shot to left field, putting the Warriors on the board. In the seventh inning, he sealed the win with a grand slam, again clearing the left-field fence.
Anthony Vita earned the win in relief for Lincoln-Way West, tossing three hitless innings with three strikeouts and no walks. Essenburg started on the mound, also throwing three scoreless innings while striking out six and walking one.
Marist starter JP Gainer allowed four hits over four scoreless innings, striking out two and walking two. Lucas Acevedo closed the game for Lincoln-Way West with a dominant inning, striking out three without allowing a baserunner.
The Warriors tallied 10 hits and displayed patience at the plate, drawing six walks. Essenburg and Acevedo led the team with two walks each.
Defensively, Lincoln-Way West was flawless, committing no errors. Catcher Owen Weber anchored the defense with 13 putouts. The team will travel to face TF South on Thursday.