EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High pitcher and outfielder Joe Chiarodo is having another stellar season for the Tigers baseball team, and has helped the team both on the mound and in the outfield.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
After sweeping Alton in a two-game series on Apr. 24-25, Chiarodo is hitting 385, with two home runs and 14 RBIs. His most recent homer came Apr. 19 at home against Collinsville at Tom Pile Field, a three-run shot over the right-center field fence that proved to be the winner in an 11-5 win over the Kahoks.
Joe is a Spencer Homes Male Athlete of the Month for the Tigers.
In the first game of the Alton series on Apr. 24 at Redbirds Field, Chiarodo had a pair of doubles, and also pitched a magnificent game, going 6.2 innings and striking out 11 as the Tigers won over the Redbirds 3-2. He had the day off on Apr. 25, when Edwardsville won over Alton 13-3 to sweep the two-game set.
In an interview that followed the Collinsville win on Apr. 19, Chiarodo felt it was a good win for the team, who kept battling despite finding adversity during the game.
"I'm happy," Chiarodo said. "Any (Southwestern) conference win's big, and we've got 4-0 in conference to start. So, I mean, things are rolling. It's fun."
The ball Chiarodo hit against the Kahoks for the go-ahead homer came as a result of taking a good at-bat, fouling off pitches until he got the one he was looking for.
"I was down 0-2," Chiarodo said, "and I was kind of just fighting, fouled about three of four pitches off. Then, I'm still searching for a fastball 0-2, and just reacting to other stuff, and he missed fastball over the plate up, and I ended up hitting it hard."
At the time, the Tigers extended a winning streak to seven straight, of which Edwardsville has now won 10 of their last 11 games to go 14-5, and Chiarodo feels the Tigers are now hitting their stride.
"Yeah, I know," Chiarodo said. "The beginning of the year was a little slow. But I think we're starting to play together as a team, and that's how you win ball games."
It's not a bad position to be in as the season is about to begin its stretch drive for Edwardsville, and Chiarodo couldn't agree more about the Tigers' position.
"I think we're in a good spot right now," Chiarodo said.
As far as the remainder of the regular season and the start of the IHSA Class 4A playoffs, where Edwardsville will go for their third straight championship, it's a matter of simplicity for Chiarodo and the rest of the team.
"Each and every day, we have to keep competing," Chiarodo said, "because if we take one day off, then one team's going to get better than us. So we've just got to keep competing each and every day as a team, and see where it takes us."
Again, congrats to Joe on his honor as a Spencer Homes Male Athlete of the Month for Edwardsville.
More like this:
Related Video:
