PBR DAILY ROUNDUP AND SCHEDULES

June 2

By Drake Skleba

The Destruction of the Top Seeds. In an unprecedented event in PBR history, the entire Top 15 teams in this week’s PBR rankings were eliminated from tournament play this week.

No. 16 La Salle-Peru, No. 18 Simeon, No. 22 Marist, No. 23 Nazareth and No. 25 Naperville Central survived the carnage. The most wide-open large-school tournaments in history, to put it mildly, will begin Elite 8 (Super-Sectional) play on Monday in Class 3A and 4A.

The following gory details below is rated PG-13. WARNING! Children under 13 should not be allowed to read this. 

Class 4A Rockford Riverhawks Super-Sectional

Schaumburg (26-12) vs. Grant (23-11)  Monday 4

McHenry Sectional Championship Game

Grant (23-11) beat South Elgin 12-11.

Schaumburg Sectional Championship Game

Red-hot Schaumburg (26-12) stormed to the Saxons Schaumburg Sectional Championship with an 11-1 pounding of Willowbrook on Saturday. Saxon senior 1B Jeremy Hall led the Saxon assault on Willowbrook with two hits and three RBI. The Saxons are making a run for longtime coach Paul Groot, who is retiring at season’s end.

Evanston Sectional Championship Game

Oak Park (28-9-1) outlasted No. 5 Maine South 10-8 on Saturday. Huskie senior Matt McCormack got the Huskie party started with a three-run bomb in the first inning.

Oak Park starring pitcher Zack Weigel struggled on the mound but had a huge day at the plate. Weigel hammered a two-run shot in the second and blew the game open with a two-run single in the fifth.

Glenbrook South Sectional Championship Game

Cinderella Highland Park (20-19) continued the gory onslaught on the top seeds with a 7-3 win over top- seeded Mundelein (34-5) in eight innings. Giant sophomore David Joseph’s two-run pinch hit double proved to be the game- winner as the Giants continued their unthinkable drive toward a Class 4A state championship. Giant senior LHP Jake Rubin (10-4) won for the fourth time in the tournament on the mound four HP. 

Class 4A Standard Bank Super-Sectional

Marist (29-11) vs. Lyons Township (25-12-1) Monday 7:30

Mount Carmel Sectional Championship Game

Lyons Twp. (25-12-1) smashed Mount Carmel 9-1 (See Drake Skleba’s story).

Andrew Sectional Championship Game

Marist (29-11) rolled past No. 2 Lincoln-Way North 5-1 as Redhawk senior Mike McKevitt’s two-run double got Marist off to a quick start against L-W North (33-6) in the top of the first.

With the Redhawks clinging to a 2-1 lead in the sixth, Redhawk junior Jack Gainer came up with a clutch two-out two run single, to give the ‘Hawks a 4-1 lead. University of Notre Dame-bound Mike Hearne’s suicide squeeze bunt plated  Redhawk lead-off man Cody Bohanek (3-for-4, 3B) for the final run for Marist. Redhawk senior RHP Ryan Meyer and Bohanek combined for a four-hitter. Meyer allowed one run and four hits to pick up the win. Bohanek fired 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief to pick up the save. Marist has now knocked off No. 2 LW North and No. 3 Providence.

Class 4A University of Illinois Super-Sectional

Naperville Central (27-12) vs. Minooka (26-13) Monday 4:30

Romeoville Sectional Championship Game

No. 25 Naperville Central (27-12) ended another Cinderella Metea Valley’s late-season run, crushing the Mustangs 12-2.

Illinois Wesleyan University Sectional Final

Minooka (26-13) blanked O’Fallon 9-0 as Indian senior RHP Kevin Ruff faced 21 Panther hitters and retired 21 Panther hitters for a perfect-game.

Class 3A Sauget (GCS Park) Super-Sectional

Troy-Triad (30-8) vs. Danville (22-14) Monday at 5

Mahomet-Seymour Sectional Championship Game

Danville (22-14) joined the list of rags-to-riches post-season stories, with a 7-5 win over Springfeld Sacred Heart-Griffin. Viking junior C Chuckie Robinson’s two-run bomb in the sixth was the difference for Danville. Robinson finished with three RBI.

Mattoon Sectional

Troy-Triad (30-8) blasted the hosts from Mattoon 10-0.

Class 3A Augustana College Super-Sectional

La Salle-Peru (32-6) vs. Burlington Central (28-10)

La Salle-Peru (Veterans Park) Sectional Championship Game

La Salle-Peru (32-6) continues to make a statement about the refusal to rehire L-P head coach Bill Booker by the La Salle-Peru school board, as the Cavaliers pounded Galesburg 11-0 behind a three-hitter from Cavalier ace Michael Lynch. The Cavaliers’ Adam Happe plated three runs for L-P. Levi Ericson and John Heister each plated a pair as the Cavaliers move a step closer to a state-title for the beloved Booker.

Burlington Central (28-10) won a pair on Saturday, hammering Prairie Ridge 8-3, in the sectional semifinal and then ending another Cinderella run by Freeport 4-2, in the sectional championship. Freeport bows out at a 17-21.

Class 3A North Central College Super-Sectional

Grayslake Central (30-8) vs. Nazareth (29-9)   Monday at 4:30

Glenbard South Sectional Championship Game

Nazareth (29-9) ousted St. Joseph 7-4 as one of the few No. 1 seeds to survive in this horse-bleep tournament. Roadrunner sophomore Jake Bartels pitched and hit Nazareth to the North Central College Super-Sectional on Monday.

Bartels had two hits and drove in four runs to lead the Roadrunner offense and pitched 6 1/3 quality innings on the mound. Junior Kyle Piotrowski retired the last two Charger hitters with the bases loaded for the save. 

Grayslake Central Sectional Championship Game

Grayslake Central (30-8) ended Vernon Hill’s season with a 4-0 white-washing of the Cougars by Ram RHP ace Mark Ash. Ash fired a one-hitter at VH.

Class 3A Standard Bank Stadium Super-Sectional

Simeon (32-7) vs. Marian Catholic (22-17)   Monday at 5-Guru

Chicago Washington Sectional Championship Game

Simeon (31-7) defeated Harlan 3-2 . Oakland University-bound Shane Brown (9-1) and University of Iowa-bound Blake Hickman combined for a five-hitter for the Wolverines.

Lincoln-Way West Sectional Championship Game

Arizona State-bound Marian Catholic (22-17) LHP Brett Lilek (5-4) returned to form by striking out 15 Lincoln-Way West Warriors as the Spartans crushed West 11-2.