The way Carmel’s Jordan Sivertsen and Highland Park’s Jon Menke were pitching Wednesday, it appeared the first team to score would come away with the victory.
That proved to be the case. Kevin Hendricks’ RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning gave Carmel a 1-0 win in the sectional semifinal at Libertyville.
Sivertsen (7-1) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning for the Corsairs (31-5). He gave up three hits and struck out seven in 6 2/3 innings. With a runner on second base, Bobby Lyne retired Menke for the final out of the game and the save.
“In my head I was [angry]” Sivertsen said of being removed for the final out. “But I wasn’t going to say anything.”
Menke hit the ball hard twice off of Sivertsen, including the two-out single that broke up the no-hitter in the fifth inning. Anthony Kopp followed with another single for Highland Park (26-7), but Carmel right fielder Joe Pudlo gunned down pinch runner Eric Manpearl trying to go from first to third.
The Corsairs recorded at least one hit against Menke (7-3) in each of the first five innings, but he repeatedly worked his way out of trouble. It caught up with him in the bottom of the sixth inning. Catcher David Venegoni led off with a single to left and Scott Bierman bunted him over to second. After Menke struck out pinch hitter Joey Burg, No. nine hitter Hendricks entered the batters box.
More Top Picks Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds
He delivered a single straight up the middle for the winning run.
“I knew a fastball was coming,” Hendricks said. “I just wanted to get a base hit and help my team out.”
Johnny Lindquist gave the Giants life in the top of the seventh inning with a leadoff double off Sivertsen. After Micheal Offereins struck out attempting to lay down a sacrifice bunt, A.J. Nathan grounded out to short. Wanting to give Menke a different look, Carmel coach Chuck Gandolfi brought in the Corsairs’ number two starter Lyne, who induced a groundout to short to end the game.
“I thought he was going to let [Sivertsen] go the whole game,” Lyne said. “But I’ve got to be ready for anything.”
Carmel will face the winner of Thursday’s game between Mundelein and Buffalo Grove in the sectional final on Saturday.