By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
NILES – It took an undefeated team to stop the seven game winning streak of the Niles varsity baseball team.
Visiting Penn, 10-0 on the season, edged the Vikings 4-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Niles coach Mike Vota was not pleased with the loss, but was happy that his squad got to play a team like Penn.
The Kingsmen were fast, played good defense and moved the ball around on offense.
Penn scored two runs in the second inning and two in the top of the seventh.
Niles' lone run came in the bottom of the fifth when Asaad Ali crushed a home run.
The Vikings (7-2) appeared to be headed for another late inning rally when the Kingsmen ended the comeback hopes with a two-run triple off the bat of Penn catcher Jason Keough.
Garrick Dikos didn't exactly fool the Niles hitters, but he did manage to improve to 3-0 for the Kingsmen.
Mikie Simpson was the lone Viking with multiple hits – both singles.
Jake Ferguson started and took the loss for Niles. Zach Bloss relieved Ferguson in the fourth inning and the two combined allowed eight hits and eight walks. Niles also committed two errors.
"They're a good ball team and you have to play good teams to get where you want to be," Vota said following the contest. "We had too many walks, we gave them a couple of freebies in terms of errors in key moments. That's the difference in a tight ball game. They walked one guy all day; they didn't make an error and their outfielders made couple of tremendous plays. If their outfielders don't make those plays, it might have been a different game."
The Vikings hit a couple of balls to deep centerfield that Penn was able to track down and catch to prevent Niles from scoring. Later in the year on a warmer, more humid day, both of them had a shot at getting out of the ballpark.
Because the Vikings were able to put the bat on the ball against a quality kid, Vota sees good things down the road.
"I was happy because that pitcher is one of the better pitchers around," he said. "I wouldn't say he dominated us. We were able to maintain and stay in our offense and do some positive things on that side of the ball."
Penn 020 000 2 – 4 8 0
Niles 000 010 0 – 1 7 2
WP – Garrick Dikos (P, 3-0) and Jason Keough
LP – Jake Ferguson (N), Zach Bloss (4) and Dan Holland
3B: Keough (P)
HR: Asaad Ali (N)
Records
Penn 10-0
Niles 7-2