Dan Vos made it look easy Thursday.
Relying almost exclusively on a mid-80s fastball, the Chicago Christian left-hander dominated Aurora Central Catholic during a 3-0 win.
Vos, a 6-foot-2 senior, allowed three hits, walked none and struck out 14 to keep the Knights (26-0) perfect on the season.
“The winning streak has been crazy, but a lot of fun,” Vos said. “I’m blessed.”
With the way Vos (8-0), a Trinity Christian recruit, was pounding the strike zone with his fastball, Chicago Christian catcher Matt McCarthy saw no need to call anything else.
“One curveball and maybe three or four change-ups,” McCarthy said. “We just kept going with the fastball. Usually we work the outside. But they were crowding the plate, so we worked the inside a little more.”
While the frigid weather suggested it was a good day to rely on a fastball, Vos said Mother Nature had nothing to do with his strategy.
Vos had complete confidence in his ability to locate his fastball and in his defense to make the plays.
It’s been a recipe for success.
“Maybe I’ll throw an off-speed pitch seven or eight times in a game,” Vos said. “I like attacking and letting them hit it. I trust my defense. They’ve done a phenomenal job.”
Vos improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 107-5 and hasn’t allowed more than two runs since the first game of the season.
Chicago Christian coach Eric Brauer gives Vos and McCarthy the freedom to call their own pitches.
“I let those two do whatever they want,” Brauer said. “They’ve been doing this together long enough. Dan knows in certain spots that he’ll need to mix it up. He has such great control and can spot his fastball. His change-up is the best I’ve seen at the high school level.”
Vos helped his own cause with a two-run single in the first inning.
A two-run lead may as well have been 10 runs with the way Vos dominated.
“We’re definitely confident with him on the mound,” Chicago Christian right fielder Jacob Bulthuis said. “This winning streak has been a blast.”
Bulthuis’ sacrifice fly in the fifth extended the lead to 3-0. Tommy Moran (2-for-3), Josh Hill (2-for-3) and Bulthuis (2-for-2) had multihit games for Chicago Christian.
Vos departed with one out in the seventh inning after throwing 92 pitches. Mark Schaaf got the final two outs while leaving the bases loaded.
With the new pitch-count rules, Voss can’t pitch again until Tuesday. That’s when the Knights will host defending Metro Suburban Red champion Ridgewood.
The teams kick off their two-game series on Monday.
“We’re expecting tough games,” Brauer said. “It should be fun.”
Twitter @disabato
