Hersey pitcher Jon Wano and catcher Eric Krumsee orchestrated Saturday’s 3-2 victory in eight innings that knocked No. 6 Stevenson out of the Class AA state baseball tournament.
Wano credited success in his duel against Stevenson ace Teddy Ogilvie to “making clutch pitches in clutch situations.”
Krumsee said he felt his two-run single that broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the eighth “made me sure as soon as I hit it that we’d win the game. It swung momentum over to us.”
Hersey (22-13) advanced to play Fremd in the sectional semifinals. Stevenson ended its season with a 28-6 record. Ogilvie (9-1) lost for the first time this season, while Wano improved to 5-1.
Both junior right-handers pitched 7 2/3 innings. Ogilvie threw 127 pitches, Wano 116. Ogilvie yielded four hits, struck out nine and walked six. Wano gave up six hits, fanned six, walked none and induced 11 Patriots batters to ground out to his third baseman, Nick Koch.
“My off-speed pitch kept batters off-balance,” Wano said. “That and the ball movement to the inside corner is why Nick got so many grounders.”
The score was tied 1-1 after seven innings. Stevenson coach Bob Mackey replaced Ogilvie with Ryan Rosenberg after Ogilvie struck out two and walked two in the eighth.
Krumsee struck his game-winning hit off Rosenberg.
“I took out Ogilvie because of his pitch count,” Mackey said. “I decided that if he reached a fifth batter, I’d take him out.”
Wano retired Stevenson’s first two batters in the home half of the eighth.
Then Joey Bonadonna reached on a bunt single and scored on Brian Shust’s double, cutting the lead to 3-2.
Art Blake replaced Wano and ended the game by striking out Craig Belcastro, who had doubled and scored the Patriots’ first run on Brian Jabek’s single to tie the game 1-1 in the fourth.
Bill Jauss.
Lyons Township: Kevin Brandush’s two-run single in the first inning was enough for top-ranked Lyons (30-5) in its 2-1 victory over Nazareth.
Dan Rodriguez allowed just two hits in five innings for the victory and Jordan Baughman pitched two hitless innings for the save.
Hoffman Estates: After leaving six runners on base in the first three innings, No. 3 Schaumburg (27-4) broke through with a four-run fourth inning en route to a 6-3 win over Prospect.
In the fourth, three runs scored on two Prospect errors before winning pitcher John Hummel helped his own cause with an RBI single.
Hummel struck out 12 and allowed just four hits, one earned run and a walk. Propsect finished 20-12.
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Buffalo Grove: Nick Gord scattered six hits and struck out five as No. 4 Buffalo Grove (28-8) defeated Conant 3-0.
Evanston: Mark Mazzone belted a three-run homer and Chris Harang added a two-run shot to lead No. 5 New Trier (28-6) past Evanston 10-3.
St. Charles East: The seventh-ranked Saints won their fifth straight regional title with a 7-2 decision over Batavia (16-17). Nick Prater pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts for St. Charles East (29-7).
Providence: Tom Ward and Derek Anderson each drove in two runs as No. 10 Providence (24-5) eliminated Downers Grove South 5-2.
Bremen: Andrew defeated Tinley Park 14-2 in five innings as Geoff Pignatiello had a three-run homer and six RBIs.
Fenwick: Jim Zangrilli’s RBI double sparked Oak Park (21-11) to a 4-0 defeat of Fenwick.
Fremd: The host Vikings (14-20) toppled Libertyville 5-4 as Doug Wagner earned the win in relief and had the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the sixth–a two-out single that scored Dylan Degrave. Libertyville finished the season 25-10.
Glenbrook North: Sean McDonaugh’s two-out single in the top of the 12th drove in Bryan Tews as Loyola edged Deerfield 9-8. Tews pitched the final eight innings for the win and Dan Cagney had three RBIs for the Ramblers (26-8).
John Norris hit two doubles and scored two runs for Deerfield (13-16).
Hinsdale Central: Lockport upended Hinsdale Central 4-0 as Steve Walker hit a solo homer and scored two runs. Adam Hutten, who gave up only two hits and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first, earned the win for the Porters (25-10).
Lincoln-Way East: Bloom (17-7) won its first regional title since 1981 with a 4-2 decision over the host Griffins (8-20). Marc Lopez and Robert Davis each homered for the Trojans.
Minooka: Collin Walker pitched a four-hitter and struck out 10 as Minooka (23-8) shut out Benet 1-0.
Rantoul: Tim Messer hit a grand slam and drove in five runs as defending state champion Bradley-Bourbonnais ripped Springfield Lanphier 13-3.
Richards: Bill Woods’ two-run single capped a four-run seventh inning as St. Rita (27-10) knocked off Richards 7-6.
Stagg: The host Chargers crushed Brother Rice 11-3 as Mike Creevy’s two-hitter and Morgan Spurlock’s two RBIs.
Waubonsie Valley: Justin Pittard struck out 11 to lead West Aurora (13-15) to a 6-1 victory over the host Warriors (24-10).
Class A sectional final
Driscoll: Dave Simms struck out eight and Joe Winckowski drove in two runs as Montini (21-9) held off Driscoll 4-3.
Softball
Andrew made a four-run second inning stand up in upending No. 10 Thornwood 4-3 in the Andrew Class AA regional final.
The Thunderbolts (18-10) scored four times with two outs in the second with Megan Hughes, the No. 7 hitter, and Hilary Pietrucha, the No. 8 hitter, collected RBI doubles and Jenna Gesiakowski a two-run triple. Pietrucha also had a triple.
Coach Carrie Cox “moved me down in the lineup (from second) because I’ve been struggling,” Pietrucha said. “It relieved a lot of stress and I swung the ball better.”
Thornwood (27-7), aided by two Andrew errors, scored three times in the fifth with Julie Mueller and Uju Ibekwe driving in runs and Susie Opiola notching a triple. But winning pitcher Bridget Krueger retired seven of the final eight hitters.
Krueger gave up seven hits, struck out seven and walked two. Ibekwe (17-3) allowed six hits, struck out nine and walked three.
Ron Brow.
Elmwood Park: Top-ranked Oak Park (30-1) edged Trinity 5-4 as Annie O’Brien improved to 14-0 with 11 strikeouts.
Geneva: Lindsey Veselsky tossed a one-hitter and struck out 12 as No. 3 Glenbard North (33-4) defeated Geneva 4-0.
Reavis: No. 5 Richards (27-5) beat Reavis 5-0 behind Lindsey LaChiana’a two-hit, eight-strikeout effort.
Highland Park: Rachel Cleaveland hurled a one-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks while Ana Antonetti provided two runs and a RBI as No. 6 Mundelein (29-2) topped Palatine 5-0.
Homewood-Flossmoor: Becky Wilson’s three-run homer propelled No. 7 Homewood-Flossmoor (26-6) past Bremen 7-2.
Lockport: No. 8 Lockport (26-9) rolled past Crete-Monee 12-2 in five innings as Samantha Findlay went 3-for-3 with a homer and four runs scored.
Morris: Jenna Smart struck out 10 with no walks and Janet Bembnister scored the run in the first inning as No. 9 Morris (31-6) defeated Providence 1-0.
Barrington: The host Fillies (32-3) defeated Cary-Grove 9-1 behind Chrissy Lund’s two RBIs.
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Batavia: Shannon Roney’s bases-clearing double in the fifth inning led Glenbard South (24-8) past Naperville North 4-0.
Buffalo Grove: Ellen Stoddard pitched a three-hitter and Donna Springer was 3-for-4 with two runs scored as Fremd (25-10) downed Hersey 7-1.
Morton: Colleen Kilduff went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs as Stagg (23-10) downed Morton 6-1.
Niles West: Heather Hohs pitched a three-hitter and struck out six as Niles West (14-16) defeated Maine South 1-0. Hohs also drove the game’s only run in the bottom of the fifth.
Class A
Shabbona Indian Creek: Deb DeGraff came within two outs of a no-hitter, settling for a one-hitter as Illiana Christian blasted Newark 9-1 to advance to Monday’s supersectional at Indian Creek.
Stephanie Koedyker was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and Shaina Terpstra was 3-for-4 with three runs scored for Illiana.