By Drake Skleba

 

LISLE – When your pitchers walk 11 batters in a tournament semifinal game, one certainly doesn’t believe your team will come out on top. Prairie Ridge did just that in an Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association/Phil Lawler Summer State Tournament semifinal game on Wednesday night.

 

Prairie Ridge (38-20) overcame its charitable ways and defeated Marian Catholic 3-1 at Benedictine University. Wolves starting LHP Mike Reitcheck, senior RHP Matt LeBeau and senior LHP Tyler Tennant combined to walk 11 Marian Catholic hitters. Fortunately for the trio, they only allowed one run and three hits.

 

Their weapon of choice was their pick-off moves to stymie the Spartan attack.

Reitcheck picked-off two Spartan runners, one at second in the third inning and another at first base in the fifth.

 

“I was really happy to get out there and pitch a good game and get the win for us on the mound,” said Reitcheck. “I am just thrilled to be playing for the state championship tomorrow night.”

 

LeBeau, after walking the bases loaded in the top of the sixth with no outs, picked off the third Spartan to complete the Wolves’ cycle by picking off a man at third base, with the Wolves clinging to a 2-0 lead.

 

Prairie Ridge’s 6-foot-3, 195 pound senior 1B Lucas Keller provided the offense for the Wolves. Keller put the Wolves up 1-0 against Marian Catholic’s Arizona State-bound LHP Brett Lilek (6 IP, 3R, 6H, 3ER, 7K,) with an RBI single in the second.

 

With one out in the fourth, senior RF Nick Samuel singled and went to third on a booming double from Keller. With junior Mike Hallstrom at the plate, Lilek balked in Samuel for the second PR run.

 

Tennant relieved LeBeau in the top of the sixth and retired the two Spartan hitters he faced to preserve the 2-0 Wolves lead.

 

In the bottom of the sixth, Keller singled home Samuel, who had walked for a 3-0 Prairie Ridge lead.

 

“It was a great game,” said Keller. “A big part of our practice is working on pick-offs. It really helped us get out of a lot of jams tonight. I had a good night but my teammates got on for me and I was able to square some balls up.”

 

Tennant allowed a mammoth home run by Marian Catholic’s junior LF Pat Swanson in the top of the seventh. Swanson walked in his other three plate appearances.

 

Marian Catholic junior 3B Brad Bohlen ripped a double and Tennant retired Lilek on a nice running catch from Wolves LF Christian Blatner. After a Tennant walk, Blatner showed off his ability to come in on a ball when he made a spectacular diving catch on a ball off the bat of Spartan C Kyle Fitzgerald to end the game.

 

For Tennant, the junior lefty added a save to his opening-round victory against Lincoln-Way North on Monday. Tennant fired three scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win in the Wolves 4-2 victory.

 

“A wow moment,” said Tennant. “Baseball is such a pressure game and to come away with this great win in such a pressure-packed game is a wow moment. We work very hard in practice on our pick-off moves and it has certainly paid off in this tournament.” 

 

With the win, the Wolves will meet Lincoln-Way North (20-3) in the 2011 IHSBCA/Phil Lawler State Championship Game at 7 at Benedictine University on Thursday night. Lincoln-Way North crushed Maine South 11-3 in the other semifinal on Wednesday.

 

“Eleven walks. Unbelievable,” said Prairie Ridge head coach Glen Pecoraro. “How in the world did we ever win that game? Because we had the three pick-offs and played great defense. We had a great approach at the plate against Lilek and Tyler Tennant was once again fantastic for us in relief. Lucas Keller did a great job for us at the plate. He looked good in the cage today and drove in our runs.”

 

Lincoln Way North 11, Maine South 3

 

LISLE - Rising from the losers bracket in the 2011 IHSBCA/Phil Lawler Summer Classic, Lincoln-Way North (20-3) stormed into Thursday night’s championship game with an 11-3 semifinal thumping of Maine South. Junior 1B Reed Hero continued to live up to his name as the hero of the rising Phoenix.

 

Lincoln-Way North will meet Prairie Ridge for the 2011 Phil Lawler Summer State Championship trophy at Benedictine University in Lisle at 7 on Thursday night.

 

After the Phoenix fell to Prairie Ridge 4-2 on Monday, Lincoln-Way North slipped past St. Joseph 6-4 and crushed Neuqua Valley 10-5 on Tuesday. The Phoenix onslaught continued on Wednesday night.

 

Hero (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 4 RBI) punctuated a three-run Phoenix uprising in the first inning, with a two-run bomb to left. Senior DH Dom Hartman (2-for-4, RBI) plated senior 3B Jack Troike (3-for-4) who had singled, with the third run of the inning. 

 

Maine South (18-11) picked up a run in the third against Phoenix starting and winning pitcher senior RHP Bo Venezio (3-1). The Phoenix put this one away with a six-run fourth, highlighted by two-RBI doubles from junior LF Josh Reid (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Hero.

 

Each team plated a pair of runs in the seventh. Venezio’s complete-game performance leads L-W North into its Thursday night rematch with Prairie Ridge.

 

“I thought I did pretty well tonight,’ said Venezio. “I was ahead in the count and my defense made some fantastic plays behind me. We played great tonight and jumped on them early. I received great run support from my team.”

 

Hero has been simply amazing in the four Lincoln-Way North tournament games.

The hard slugging junior 1B is 7-for 13 with a homer and nine RBI for the Phoenix.

 

“We jumped on them in the first inning,” said Hero “The whole team hit well and Bo pitched a great game tonight. I am seeing the ball so well. I’m laying off the curve balls and really crushing the fastballs.”

 

Notre-Dame-bound CF Kyle Richardson, junior 2B Jesus Saavedra and senior SS/P Jack Touhy led Maine South with two hits each.

 

“We have a number of juniors that have been leading our offensive assault of late,” said Lincoln-Way North head coach Joe Skarbek. “Bo Venezio throws a ton of strikes. He did such a nice job for us tonight. Reed Hero is such a great player. He’s so athletic. He has just crushed the baseball this summer.”