By Sean Duncan

NAPERVILLE - Behind a strong pitching effort by senior right-hander Pat Kelly, Nazareth Academy defeated Streamwood 5-2 in the first round of the Phil Lawler Classic at North Central College on Monday afternoon.

The 5-foot-8 Kelly pitched 6.2 innings, struck out six, walked four and allowed six hits – three in the seventh inning – to pitch the Roadrunners into the winner’s bracket of Tuesday’s Illinois High School Coaches Association’s summer state tournament. Nazareth will play St. Charles East, a 5-1 winner over Palatine, in Tuesday’s second-round at Benedictine University in Lisle.

Nazareth mounted a 3-0 advantage in the third inning on Ryan Powers’ RBI single. The hard-throwing 6-foot-5 senior right-hander also faced one batter in the seventh to put an end to Streamwood’s rally, which included two runs on three hits, a walk and a balk. Senior first baseman A.J. Ryan went 2-for-2 with a double, a run and an RBI for Nazareth, which put the game out of reach with two runs in the sixth thanks to three Streamwood errors.

Streamwood (28-5) was led by senior shortstop Nate Pearson, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Streamwood stayed alive in the tournament after it defeated Palatine 6-3 in the loser’s bracket.

In other first-round action …

St. Charles East 5, Palatine 1: The Saints (32-3) advanced to winner’s bracket behind a solid all-around performance by senior left-hander Kyle Manske. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound left-hander allowed one run, struck out five and walked one in 5.1 innings to earn the win. Manske also delivered a two-run double to put the Saints ahead for good.

Junior Ryan Shaffrey added two hits and two stolen bases for the Saints while senior first baseman Tony Rallo went 2-for-4 with an RBI. St. Charles East will play Nazareth on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Benedictine University next.

Lake Zurich 5, St. Laurence 3: Lake Zurich (26-12) surprised the Vikings behind Jeremy Reusch, who drove in four runs as the Bears mounted a 5-0 advantage after two innings. Reusch, who drove in a run in the first, set the Bears on the winning path with a three-run double in the second inning.

Senior right-hander Mike Irgang handled the rest, as he carried a shutout into the seventh and ultimately gave up eight hits in the win. Irgang walked one and struck out one. Lake Zurich’s defense helped out Irgang by turning five double plays.

Charlie Naso, who had two hits, threw a five-hitter in the loss for St. Laurence (22-4).

Neuqua Valley 3, Providence Catholic 2: The Wildcats shocked the Celtics behind a five-hitter by Kevin Hodgman. Neuqua Valley (30-3) advances to play Lake Zurich on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at North Central College.

Hodgman struck out four and walked one as he blanked the Celtics after the fourth inning. Colin McEnery threw a four-hitter for Providence in the loss.

In the loser’s bracket:

St. Laurence 3, Providence 2: In a battle between the Catholic League White champs and the Catholic League Blue champs, St. Laurence won this well-played contest in eight innings – effectively ousting Providence from the state tournament.

After Providence took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning, St. Laurence came right back with two runs in the bottom half to stay alive in the tournament. The Vikings won the game when reliever Sam Travis walked Mike Chimera with the bases loaded. Mike Solofra tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

Purdue-bound left-hander Kyle Wood went the distance to earn the win for the Vikings. Wood allowed only five hits and struck out six. At the plate, the PBR All-Stater went 2-for-4, including a single in the single in the eighth inning.

Matt Trowbridge went 2-for-3 with a triple for Providence. Senior right-hander Dan Wetzel pitched seven innings, allowing five hits in the loss.

Streamwood 6, Palatine 3: Streamwood knocked Palatine out of the tournament with the victory.