Benet Defeats Riverside-Brookfield for the 3A Regional Championship

Benet took down Riverside-Brookfield to claim the 4A Regional Championship. Strong starting pitching and a breakout offensive inning put the Redwings on top as they went on to win 4-1.

Benet Academy (15-13) broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning. Back to back bunts from Senior Stephen Dabrowski and senior Pierce Salbego put men on first and third with one out. Senior Ryan Radek then delivered what turned out to be the biggest swing of the game, a triple over the right fielder’s head to bring home both runners on base and make the score 3-1 at the time. Radek would later go on to score on an error to extend the Benet lead to 4-1.

The Redwings were led on the mound by sophomore Samuel Zagorac. The right-hander stepped up and delivered 6.0 innings of strong work, scattering three hits, one earned run and four strikeouts. Zacorac featured an easy arm with a fastball sitting 80-83 mph early on. His go-to secondary pitch was a curveball with 11/5 shape, thrown in the 66-69 mph range.

Riverside-Brookfield was led on the mound by two-way talent and junior Owen Murphy, a Notre Dame commit. Murphy went 6.0 innings while allowing 5 hits, 2 earned runs and punching out 9 batters. The right-hander featured an athletic, electric arm with a running fastball sitting 90-91 mph early on, touching 94 mph. Murphy went to a sharp, 11/5 breaking ball in the 75-78 mph range to keep the Redwing hitters off balance.

Riverside-Brookfield’s lone run came on a solo blast off the bat of Murphy in the top of the fourth inning, which gave them the short-lived lead at the time.

Benet squared the game at one run a piece in the bottom of the fourth inning when junior Jackson Bayer ripped a triple over the center-fielder’s head. Bayer would later go on to score on a wild pitch.

With the win, Benet Academy moves on to face St. Laurence in the Sectional Semifinals on Wednesday at 4:30 pm.

Notable Performances:

+ Samuel Zagorac (Benet): 6 innings, 3 hits, 1 ER, 4Ks 
+ Owen Murphy (Riverside-Brookfield): 6 innings, 5 hits, 2 ER, 9 Ks, 2-3 HR, RBI
+ Ryan Radek (Benet): 1-3, triple, 2 RBIs
+ Peter Messina (Benet): 2-3
+ Jackson Bayer (Benet): 1-3, triple, run scored

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