By Sean Duncan
JOLIET - The Class 3A state semifinals began with a bang, as No. 7 Chatham Glenwood and No. 8 LaSalle-Peru hooked up in what turned out to be a classic Friday at Silver Cross Field.
Glenwood edged LaSalle-Peru 2-1 on Tim Sullivan's run-scoring single with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning.
"That was probably the best tournament game I've been involved with," said long-time coach Pat Moomey, who is making his fourth state appearance. "This was different that every pitch from the start, we were hanging on each pitch."
For the Titans (32-5), they will play for the school's second state championship Saturday at noon when they take on No. 3 Joliet Catholic Academy, which beat Grayslake Central 4-1. (See game story below).
With the way both starting pitchers were throwing, it looked like the game would continue 1-1 until Sunday. That is, until senior Tim Sullivan came to the plate. Sullivan, who had struck out his last two plate appearances, dropped a single into left-center field that scored junior outfielder Jared Turner.
Sullivan's single secured the win for junior right-hander Bryce Sablotny (4-0), who was making only his third start of the year. Sablotny was brilliant in shutting down the Cavaliers' high-powered offense, allowing seven hits with five strikeouts to no walks in a complete-game, eight-inning gem.
"That was the biggest game I've ever been part of," said Sablotny.
Sablotny proved his mettle in the fifth when he got out of a first-and-third, one-out jam with two consecutive strikeouts.
Meanwhile, LaSalle-Peru (33-4) received a stellar pitching performance from Karch Kowalczyk (11-1), who struck out 11, walked five and allowed four hits in seven innings.
The Valparaiso-bound Kowalczyk, who went 2-for-3 at the plate, started the eighth inning with a walk before being removed after throwing 135 pitches in favor of Joe Goskusky.
"I had to pry the ball out of his hands," said L-P coach Bill Booker. “That was one of the gutsiest performances I've ever seen. Karch just really gutted it out."
Goskusky gave up a single to Jacob Reese before getting a strikeout.
Then Sullivan delivered his heroics.
"I'm really proud of the kids, they fought so hard," said Moomey.
L-P jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Goskusky's single, scoring Zac Wolf.
Glenwood received a break in the third inning when, for the only time all game, Kowalczyk lost his feel and walked the first two batters of the inning. It looked like he was going to get out of the inning after retiring the next two batters, but then he walked Turner to load the bases. Reese, who finished 2-for-4, then came through with an infield single to the right side to score Ben Parks.
LaSalle-Peru looked like it was going to break the tie in the sixth when it had a runner on third after Kowalczyk led off the inning with a double. With one out, Wolf hit a high hopper to shortstop, and with the pinch-runner Matt Schmitt running on contact, sophomore Jake Fulks leapt to grab the ball, landed and had the wherewithal to gun down the runner at the plate.
"That was just a great play to make," said Moomey. "And react after making the play. Everything had to go right to get him out."
L-P, which opened the season with a 21-game win streak, will play Grayslake Central for third place.
"I've never been prouder of these guys," said Booker.
Joliet Catholic Academy 4, Grayslake Central 1:
The soft-spoken Kendall Paluch sat at the postgame press conference, deferring all the credit to his defense that turned four double plays behind him. Nevertheless, the Joliet Catholic junior right-hander did more than his share in helping No. 3 Joliet Catholic to a 4-1 victory over Grayslake Central in the Class 3A state semifinals at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.
The 5-foot-11, 150-pound Paluch pitched the Hilltoppers (31-5) to Saturday’s Class 3A state championship game by throwing a complete-game five-hitter. Paluch struck out seven, including two in the seventh, and walked three to improve to 11-2 this season. He also was aided by the double plays, three of which were inning-ending.
“I love the double plays,” said Paluch. “I’ve been counting on double plays all season.”
The Hilltoppers, who finished third at last year’s state tournament, provided Paluch all the offense he would need in the first inning when shortstop Dave Cladis led off the game with a walk and second baseman Nick Ratajczak followed with a double. Andrew Cecchi then laid down a safety squeeze bunt to score a run, and Ratajczak scored on a balk to make it 2-0.
Joliet Catholic added a run in the second inning when senior outfielder Steve Cservenyak hit a bomb to right field, his school-record-breaking 12th homer of the season. Ratajczak finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored, and his double-play partner Cladis added a hit and a run scored.
“It was nice offensively getting back to some of the things we’ve done all season,” said JCA coach Jared Voss, referring to bunting runners over and stealing bases.
Grayslake Central (25-16), which was making its first state appearance, finally broke through in the fifth after several squandered scoring opportunities. Andrew Hosford (1-for-2, run) walked to lead off the fifth, and scored on a single by Jackson White (2-for-2).
“I couldn’t be more proud of the kids,” said Grayslake Central coach Troy Whalen, whose team opened the season 14-13. “We clearly had our chances, obviously when you hit into four double plays, you’re going to be in trouble.”
Grayslake Central will play LaSalle-Peru in the third-place game 9 a.m. Saturday.