By Sean Duncan

LIBERTYVILLE ? Libertyville senior right-hander Joey Eichmann threw a two-hitter to defeat neighborhood rival Carmel 6-3 in a Libertyville Regional semifinal game Friday.

Eichmann (6-3), a 6-foot-4, 205-pound Purdue recruit, allowed only an infield single through six innings before he made his only mistake of the game ? a two-out, three-run homer by Tommy Ryan in the top of the seventh.

Last year in the regional final, Libertyville (20-14) blew a big lead in the seventh inning to lose Carmel. Could the Corsairs (17-16) make another late-inning comeback? Not quite. Eichmann retired the next batter on a fly out to send the Wildcats into Saturday?s regional final against Warren.

The two schools, separated by a few miles down Route 176, had split two games during the regular season.

 ?We played those guys in two tough games this season, so it feels great to get the win,? said Eichmann, who struck out four and walked five. ?Our whole team hit well, especially in situations, and we made the plays. We played really well, collectively.?

Eichmann struck out four and walked five behind an 83-86 mph fastball and a steady defense to make the plays behind him.

 ?One of our goals was to get ahead early and let the defense make plays,? said Libertyville coach Jim Schurr. ?He hit his spots all game long.?

Scoreless through three innings, Libertyville finally broke through against Carmel (17-16) senior left-hander Timmy Hendricks (4-3) in the fourth inning, pushing three runs across on three hits. Freshman catcher Evan Skoug and Robbie Dittman each had RBI singles in the inning, and Trevor Freberg also drove in a run.

Eichmann helped his own cause in the fifth with a run-scoring single before the Wildcats added two more in the sixth behind two hits and three walks. A.J. Schurr, who went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run, had a check-swing RBI infield single in the inning.

?There?s a great rivalry and mutual respect between the programs ? a general regard for one another,? said Schurr. ?This game had a lot on it.?