By Sean Duncan

 

JOLIET - Unfair or not, immediately following Glenwood’s heartbreaking loss in last year’s championship game, the Titans were labeled the favorites to win the Class 3A state championship in 2010.

 

Without question, expectations were high for Glenwood coming into the season. And rightfully so. On Saturday, No. 4 Glenwood shrugged off the pressure and validated the hype by pounding DeKalb 11-1 in six innings to win the Class 3A state title at Silver Cross Field.

 

The Titans finished their impressive season at 32-4 and claimed their second state championship, the first coming in 1996. Coincidentally, in the 1995 season Glenwood took second place.

 

“I’m just very happy for these guys,” said longtime Glenwood coach Pat Moomey. “I’m especially happy for this senior group. It’s especially sweet feeling to go second one year and win it the next.”

 

Glenwood thoroughly dominated the competition in Joliet, outscoring its two opponents 28-6 after pummeling Joliet Catholic Academy 17-5 in five innings in Friday’s semifinals. The Titans needed only 11 innings of play to beat their two opponents. In those 11 innings, they pounded out 31 hits, 15 of which went for extra bases, including four home runs.

 

“It was probably the best baseball we played all year,” said Eastern Illinois-bound catcher Jacob Reese, who went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. “It seemed like everybody was hitting today.”

 

What’s more impressive is all 11 of the Titans’ runs against DeKalb (27-11) came with two outs, and eight different players drove in at least one run.  Hard to believe, but the contest was actually a pitchers’ duel through three innings between DeKalb ace Ben Dallesasse (11-2) and Glenwood junior right-hander Phil Maton (11-0). But in the fourth, Glenwood’s explosive offense finally came to life, pushing four runs across.

 

Junior left fielder Michael Fiaush broke the scoreless tie in the fourth with a single, and No. 9-hitter Chris Sekardi followed with another run-scoring single. Then junior shortstop Jake Fulks (2-for-3, two RBI, one run) made it 4-0 with a two-run double.

 

And the rout was on.

 

“We just had to get going, but once we did, it didn’t stop,” said Fiausch.

 

Indeed. The Titans tacked on two more in the fifth before the offense delivered the knockout blow in the sixth. Glenwood ripped four extra-base hits in the inning, including a two-run homer by first baseman Jake Lance (2-for-4, three RBI, two runs). Third baseman Jake Ingold, who hit two homers and tied a state record with seven RBI against Joliet Catholic Academy, had a run-scoring triple in the inning as well. Dallas Henderson contributed two hits and an RBI, and Maton also had two hits.

 

Heading into the weekend, Moomey said the team had been struggling to score runs.

 

“I really thought we had won without playing our best, which is good,” said Moomey. “I could kind of feel it coming, maybe not to this extent.”

 

Meanwhile, Maton completely dominated DeKalb’s offense. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound junior carried a no-hitter after three innings and allowed four hits while striking out nine in an efficient 82-pitch complete game. Maton struck out five in the final two innings.

 

“[DeKalb’s pitcher] really had us off stride,” said Moomey. “Phil (Maton) did a great job holding them down until we could come around and scrap out some runs.”

 

For DeKalb, the second-place finish marked the school’s first state trophy.

 

 “I knew we had the talent to get here,” said DeKalb ace right-hander Ben Dallesasse, who finished his senior season at 11-2. “Number two in the state isn’t bad at all – it’s amazing.”

 

Dallesasse had two of the team’s hits and drove in a run on an infield pop-up lost in the sun with two outs in the sixth inning.

 

“Obviously we played a team who hits the ball really well,” said DeKalb coach Justin Keck. “But I don’t think we played our best ballgame.”

 

In the third-place game …

 

Marian Central Catholic capped its historic season with a rain-shortened 8-3 victory over Joliet Catholic Academy in the Class 3A. The Hurricanes’ four-inning victory brought the school its first state trophy in four appearances.

 

“I’m very happy, this is history-making for the school,” said coach Gregg Wikierak, who didn’t place in his three previous state appearances. “Finishing in third place is quite an accomplishment.”

 

In a preemptive move to avoid pending weather issues, the game was changed to five innings. But with one out in the bottom of the fourth, torrential rains and lightning struck, and after a long delay, the game was called.

 

By that time, Marian Central Catholic (28-10) had the game well in hand. After Joliet Catholic took a 3-2 advantage in the top of the third, Marian Central Catholic broke the game open in the bottom half of the inning, pushing across four runs on five hits.

 

Centerfielder Scott Franzegrote, who went 4-for-4 in the Hurricanes’ semifinal loss, led off the inning with a single and eventually scored on Dave Parr’s sacrifice fly. Andrew Stone also singled and scored on Karl Steiger’s second run-scoring double, and starting pitcher Dave Luczak added an RBI single in the inning, as the Hurricanes mounted a 7-3 lead.

 

Franzegrote finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Steiger 2-for-2 with two RBI in the Hurricanes’ 10-hit attack.

 

“As soon as we got to the field, it felt much different,” said Franzegrote. “We were just here to play baseball and have fun, and that’s what we did.”

 

Luczak capped his stellar senior campaign by allowing six hits and three strikeouts to finish 10-1 on the year.

 

Joliet Catholic (22-16) looked like it was going to rebound nicely from its 17-5 pounding in Friday’s semifinal to Glenwood, as the Hilltoppers tallied three hits in the first inning and scored once on catcher Nate Ruzich’s sacrifice fly. But Marian Central Catholic responded in the bottom of the first with three runs on four hits. Steiger and Parr each had run-scoring doubles in the inning.

 

Andrew Cecchi led the Hilltopper attack with two hits and two runs scored, and John Gerl also had two hits and drove in two. The fourth-place finish marked the third consecutive year the Hilltoppers claimed a state trophy.