Karman and the Giants just keep delivering

Good ballclubs often find ways to put games out of reach late. But the best teams make a habit of burying their opponents early.

The Highland Park Giants accomplished the latter once again on Thursday, scoring six runs in the bottom of the second inning en route to a 9-0 win over the visiting Vernon Hills Cougars at Wolters Field.

The Giants’ victory continued their stellar run of Central Suburban League North play this campaign, pushing their conference record to a perfect 12-0 mark. Overall, Highland Park boasts an impressive 21 wins through its first 26 games (4 losses, 1 tie).

“I’m most impressed by the team’s consistency all year long on the field,” Highland Park coach Jason Newburger said. “We’re just grinding out really good at-bats and playing some really solid defense. Our pitchers have done a nice job of setting the tone early by pounding the strike zone. And we don’t give away a whole lot — at-bats at the plate, or outs defensively — so the guys have been super consistent to start the year.”

Highland Park’s big second frame on Thursday took off when designated hitter Luke Giese smacked an RBI single to right field to give his team a 1-0 lead. The Giants then rallied to score five more runs all with two outs in the inning.

Giants shortstop Simon Rose had the big hit, an opposite-field double over the right fielder’s head to plate two more runs. Ben Lichtenfeld then followed with a run-scoring knock, and Charlie Cohen and Trent Harradine also drove in runs for the Giants in the second.

“We talk about that all the time, just stringing together a lot of good at-bats over and over,” Newburger said. “Luke Giese got the big hit down the right-field line that kind of sparked us for the first run. … We put together a lot of really good at-bats in that inning and it’s kind of not surprising to see a 6-spot up there at the end of the inning.”

From there, Highland Park’s starting pitcher Brett Karman made sure the Cougars never sniffed a comeback.

Karman tossed an absolute gem for the Giants — a three-hit shutout in which the left-hander allowed just five baserunners and did not let the Cougars put a runner in scoring position until the seventh inning.

“I felt like the mix of my fastball and changeup was working really well,” Karman said. “I thought both pitches were pretty solid today. … I relied on my fastball pretty heavily the first time through and then was able to mix in my offspeed more the second time through.”

Karman added that his plan of attack heading into the start was to pound the strike zone early — in part due to the blustery wind conditions that he knew would limit his opponent’s ability to do damage in the air.

The Giants defense was superb behind Karman, who struck out three, racked up eight ground-ball outs and induced three infield popups over his seven innings of work.

“It’s awesome having our defense behind you,” Karman said. “I go out there every time I pitch and I just know that we have everyone there who plays their role exactly how you want it to be played. If you go all around the field there’s really no mistakes or errors and I’m proud of all of them and I think it’s one of the best defenses that I’ve ever had … so it’s definitely a relief as a pitcher.”

JT Killeen added an RBI in the fourth inning, and the Giants tacked on two more runs in the fifth on a Vernon Hills’ error.

Highland Park has clicked in all facets of the game this season, outplaying their opponents thus far to the tune of a staggering +153 season run differential (total: 228 runs for vs. 75 runs against; averages: 8.8 vs 2.9)

The depth of the team’s lineup and pitching staff, as well as the group’s consistently strong defensive play, have all been imperative factors in the group’s success, Newburger said. He added that the Giants are a “group that wants to compete and win and their drive is really good.”

But perhaps one of the team’s characteristics that best explains its success is the Giants’ chemistry.

“To be honest, I think (a lot of what makes this team special) is a lot of off the field stuff,” Newburger said. “Our guys really enjoy being together. They’re a great group of kids. They bring their personality to the park every day. It’s really fun to coach them.”

As the Giants look to put the finishing touches on their strong season, the team’s focus will remain on taking “everything one game at a time and one day at a time.”

“If we keep playing good baseball, it just means that we get to come out to the park every day and spend more time together,” Newburger said. “And I think this is a group that really wants to do that. … We’ve come to the park most days with energy and the results have shown thus far.”

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