By Drake Skleba

 

NAPERVILLE ? Providence scored 12 runs and hammered out 15 hits, as the top-ranked Celtics blew past Downers Grove South 12-3 on Saturday and punched their ticket to Monday night?s University of Illinois Class 4A Supersectional.

 

Celtic senior catcher Dan Potempa had three hits and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Potempa plated four Celtic (35-3) runs to lead the Celtic hit parade.

 

?It?s awesome to be on this team. One after another we just hit the ball,? said Potempa. ?I had a good day at the plate. I got a little lucky on the bloop double but I hit the ball hard on the home run. Matt and Collin pitched great for us and it is pleasure to catch our outstanding pitching staff.?

 

Central Michigan-bound LHP Matt Trowbridge fired five quality innings to improve to 8-0 for the Celtics this season. Indiana-bound LHP Collin McEnery fired two scoreless innings in relief to nail down the Celtics 35^th win of the year. Trowbridge had two singles and a double at the plate.

 

?I battled on the mound for us,? said Trowbridge. ?We all hit the ball today. Whatever I have to do to win, I do for this club. I am really proud of the day I had at the plate.?

 

In a battle of the preseason No. 1 and No. 2 teams, Providence struck first in this Class 4A Neuqua Valley Sectional championship game.  Celtic Indiana-bound 3B Sam Travis crushed his 15^th home run of the season to give the Celts a 1-0 lead. The RBI was Travis? 69^th RBI of 2011.

 

?It helps to get a couple of runs in the first inning. We got a couple runs for Trowbridge and played well. I got another homer today. We all have to do our jobs and it worked out well for us. Dan Potempa and Zach Kutsulis had great games for us. We have to go out Monday night at give it our best and see how it works out.?

 

The Celtics would pick up another two-out RBI from junior CF Zach Kutsulis, with a single.

 

Downers Grove South tied things up at 2-2 in the third on a clutch two-out, two-run single by Mustang Kansas State-bound RHP Matt Wivinis (4-6).

 

In the bottom of the third, Travis walked and Potempa launched his ninth bomb of the season, making it 4-2 Celtics. The bomb finished the day for Wivinis. The Celtics went to work on the Mustang pen. Kutsulis would hammer his third home run with McEnery (1-for-3, BB) aboard, who had walked. The Celts would pick up the fifth run of the inning on a Mustang boot.

 

In the fifth, the Mustangs picked up an unearned run against Trowbridge to close to 7-3. Providence answered with another crooked number, putting up five in the bottom of the fifth.

 

Celtic seniors Dom Olszta (2-for-3, RBI) and Notre Dame-bound 2B Kevin DeFilippis had RBI singles. Potempa drove home two with a double, to give him four on the day and 45 on the season. Potempa is now hitting .505 with nine bombs and 45 RBI.

 

McEnery mowed down the Mustangs allowing a lone single in two innings of relief for the Celtics.

 

At 6:30 on Monday, at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, the Celtics will meet Edwardsville (29-9). Edwardsville outslugged No. 13 Normal West 10-6 in the Illinois Wesleyan University sectional final. The PBR's Drake Skleba wil be at the home of the Big Ten champions on Monday night with all the supersectional action.

 

?We played really well today. We hit the ball really well against a quality pitcher,? said Providence head coach Mark Smith. ?We wanted to come out aggressive at the plate and we did. I am really proud of the way the kids played today. Danny (Potempa) had a great day. Sammy (Travis) owes some of his success to Danny, because people can?t pitch around Sam with the year Danny has had for us.

 

?Matt (Trowbridge) didn?t have his best stuff today but battled for us on the mound. Collin (McEnery) did what he does for us with a quality job in relief.

 

?As far as Monday?s supersectional, we will be in Champaign. We don?t know too much Edwardsville. We just have to play out brand of baseball and hope the stars shine on us Monday night.?

 

Downers Grove South closes out the season at 25-14 with a regional championship under its belt.