Joliet Catholic Caps 26-Win Season With 2A State Title
June 4, 2022
2A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday’s finale pitted Joliet Catholic and Richmond-Burton against each other for a shot at the 2A state championship trophy. It was the Hilltoppers who came out on top, winning their 26th game of the spring 12-3 to capture high school baseball’s most coveted honor.
Richmond-Burton jumped out to an early lead in the first inning on a two-run opposite field single from OF Ethan Schoeps (2023). Joliet Catholic manufactured a run in their half of the first inning, however, when 1B Jackson Cullen (2022; Loras) tripled and later came around to score on a sacrifice fly by OF Luka Radicevich (2022; Chipola JC).
2A State Championship @JCABaseball answers with a run of their own in the ⬇️1️⃣
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 4, 2022
‘22 OF Luka Radicevich (@Chipola_BSB) pokes this two-strike breaking ball into CF for an RBI.
The Hilltoppers trail 2-1. pic.twitter.com/w5qYwFvyuU
The Rockets matched Joliet Catholic in the top of the second, as C Hayden Christiansen (2022; Xavier) poked a slider the other way for an RBI. Things held at bay until the bottom half of the third, when Radicevich brought his second run home of the game on a sacrifice fly to right field.
2A State Championship
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 4, 2022
C Hayden Christiansen (2022; @XavierBASE) adds to the @RBCHSBaseball lead with a two-out opposite field single.
The Rockets lead 3-1 as we head to the ⬇️2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/uqjKZfKJNV
Joliet Catholic blew things open in the two innings that followed. They put up five runs in the fourth, doing all of that damage with two outs. OF Daniel O’Brien (2022) and INF Aidan Voss (2022; Iowa Western CC football) each drove in runs on RBI singles, and they both scored on a three-run blast to left field by Cullen.
2A State Championship: @JCABaseball plates five runs in the fourth inning.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 5, 2022
OF Daniel O’Brien (2022) and SS Aidan Voss (2022) drive in runs with RBI singles. ⤵️
CIF Jackson Cullen (2022) backspins a three-run blast afterwards.
7-3 JCA in the ⬆️5️⃣ pic.twitter.com/ooUZe3mWMM
They kept their red-hot offense rolling in the fifth. 1B Michael Ascencio (2022; Kaskaskia JC) and C Ryan Louthan (2022; John A. Logan JC) reached base to start the inning, both coming across to score on a barreled up triple into the left-center gap by 3B Brennan Luz (2022; Concordia-Wisconsin). 2B Tommy Kemp (2023) plated Luz with an RBI double down the left field line, and he came around to score on a single by O’Brien moments afterwards.
2A State Championship:@JCABaseball continues to find barrels in the 5th. Brennan Luz delivers a two-run triple ⬇️.
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 5, 2022
JCA 11, Richmond-Burton 3 | still hitting in the ⬇️5️⃣. pic.twitter.com/5dCvT4TVm2
Richmond-Burton threatened in the top half of the sixth inning, but RHP Jake Spotofora (2022; College of Dupage) extinguished the Rockets’ rally. Spotofora entered the game with the bases-loaded and one out, retiring the first batter he faced via strikeout and inducing an inning-ending flyout to foul territory.
2A State Championship
Richmond-Burton threatens in the top of the sixth, but RHP Jake Spotofora (2022) enters the game and escapes the jam. ⤵️@JCABaseball still leads 11-3 heading to the ⬇️6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/nC7FmQeTSW
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 5, 2022
Joliet Catholic scored a run in the sixth on an RBI double by Asencio, capping off a 12-run outburst by the Hilltoppers’ offense. They pounded out 13 hits in total, defeating Richmond-Burton 12-3 for the 2A state title. This is Joliet Catholic's fourth state championship, and the fourth in program history.
? 2A State Champion ? @JCABaseball knocks off Richmond-Burton by a score of 12-3 to take home the 2A State Title. pic.twitter.com/4CDyhWOW44
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 5, 2022
NOTABLE PERFORMERS:
+ Daniel O’Brien (Joliet Catholic): 2-for-3, 2 RBI 2 RS
+ Aidan Voss (Joliet Catholic): 2-for-4, RBI, RS
+ Jackson Cullen (Joliet Catholic): 2-for-3, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 RS
+ Luka Radicevich (Joliet Catholic): 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI
+ Michael Ascencio (Joliet Catholic): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, RS
+ Brennan Luz (Joliet Catholic): 2-for-3, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 RS
+ Tommy Kemp (Joliet Catholic): 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 RS
+ Dominic Coda (Joliet Catholic): 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
+ Hayden Christiansen (Richmond-Burton): 2-for-4, RBI, RS
+ Ethan Schoeps (Richmond-Burton): 1-for-2, 2B, RBI
2A THIRD PLACE GAME
In the 2A third-place game, Columbia sent their ace to the mound in junior RHP Dominic Voegele. Voegele was as advertised, striking out 13 in 6.2 innings pitched while picking up the win over Maroa-Forsyth by a score of 4-1. Voegele ran his fastball up to 93 mph, sitting comfortably at 88-91 while mixing in two advanced breaking balls throughout.
2A State Finals: 3rd Place game
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 4, 2022
‘23 RHP/SS Dominic Voegele (@CHSEagleBasebal) continuing to show he’s one of the top @PBR_Uncommitted prospects in the state.
Impressed as a position player last night & worked out of trouble here in the 1st.
FB: 88-91, T92
CB: 74-75
SL: 77-80 pic.twitter.com/BhR3HAGMAu
Columbia jumped out on top with two in the first inning. Leadoff man Kyle McConachie walked and later scored on Voegele RBI single back up the middle. Voegele would come around to score on Lucas Riebeling’s fielder's choice later in the inning.
Maroa-Forsyth cut the lead to 2-1 in the third inning when starting pitcher and cleanup man Jaxson Grubbs deposited a 90 mph fastball over the left-field wall for a solo home run.
2A State Finals: 3rd Place game
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 4, 2022
‘22 Jaxson Grubbs (Lewis and Clark JC) picks up his 9th #PBRBombSquad of the year with this solo shot for @MTFBaseball.@CHSEagleBasebal 2, Maroa-Forsyth 1 | ⬆️4️⃣. pic.twitter.com/ZUG05lTLRu
Columbia put the game away for good in the top of the sixth inning thanks to a two-run single by Jack Steckler.
2A State Finals: 3rd Place game
— PBR Illinois (@PBRIllinois) June 4, 2022
‘23 OF Jack Steckler (@PBR_Uncommitted) adds two more runs for @CHSEagleBasebal with this two-run single. ⤵️
The Eagles lead 4-1 in the ⬆️6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/Uxg7iHiRsV
Columbia finished the season with a 27-8-1 record while Maroa-Forsyth picked up the fourth-place trophy with a record of 32-3 on the season.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
+ Jack Steckler (Columbia): 2-for-4, R
+ Drake Wittenbrink (Columbia): 1-for-3
+ Dominic Voegele (Columbia): 1-for-3, R; W, 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 13 K
+ Jaxson Grubbs (Maroa-Forsyth): 2-for-3, HR, RBI, R; 6.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6K
+ Jacob Blunck (Maroa-Forsyth): 1-for-2, BB
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