Naperville Central junior right fielder Jermaine Kenady knew the ball was coming down. He just had no idea where.
Hinsdale Central’s PJ Doppke had launched a high fly ball. Kenady lost it in the lights, and the ball dropped about 10 feet away from him. Senior center fielder Dylan Martin retrieved it and held Doppke to a double.
“On this field, anything over the lights you can’t see,” Kenady said. “But I know my center fielder has got me, and he was just there to pick me up.”
The fourth-inning misplay ultimately was harmless, as senior right-hander Grant Umbright eventually got out of a first-and-third situation with a strikeout, and Kenady later picked up the second-seeded Redhawks by making two plays that keyed their 2-0 victory over the third-seeded Red Devils in a Class 4A Lockport Sectional semifinal on Wednesday night.
Naperville Central (28-9) advances to play fourth-seeded Downers Grove North (24-12) in the sectional championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday. It will be the Redhawks’ first appearance in a sectional final since 2012, when Texas Rangers second baseman Nicky Lopez was on the team.
“I’m really happy about it,” Kenady said. “We expected to be here, and there’s one thing that we’ve got on our minds — just go to state. We’ve got to be aggressive.”
Kenady didn’t lose his aggressiveness or confidence following his misplay, which came after the Redhawks had taken a 1-0 lead on junior Ryan Pall
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’s bases-loaded walk in the third inning. Umbright reassured Kenady.“I said ‘It happens. It’s nothing to worry about,’” Umbright said. “A ball hit that high in the lights, you don’t really expect much.
“He’s a heck of a player. I knew he was going to do something for us, and he did something for sure.”
The first play came with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, when Kenady fired a strike to senior shortstop Cooper Page to catch a runner trying to stretch a single into a double.
Kenady and his teammates sprinted to the dugout yelling in delight.
“I was just full of emotion,” he said. “After that play with the lights, I can’t let that play hold me down because every little moment just counts. So me throwing that guy (out) at second, it counted at that very moment.”
As did Kenady’s final at-bat. He roped a two-out double to left and scored an insurance run on senior first baseman Casey Cooperkawa’s sharp single to left. Kenady, who also plays football for Naperville Central, aggressively rounded third and barely beat the throw home with a dramatic headfirst slide.
“I knew I had to go,” Kenady said. “I’d seen the ball go through the third baseman, so I knew I had to score.
“So when I see the catcher get ready to tag me, I knew I had to make a good slide. That slide put us in a great position to win the game.”
Naperville Central coach Mike Stock was thrilled to get the second run.
“It was huge,” Stock said. “Jermaine squares one up, burns their outfielder who was playing too shallow and ends up on second, and then Casey, one of our senior leaders, comes up and hits a laser.
“There are certain times varsity athletes come through. Jermaine does, and then Casey comes up and has one of the best at-bats he’s had in a week or so, and a bang-bang play at home. It was just great.”
So was Umbright, who retired the Red Devils (26-12) in order in the seventh, including a strikeout to end it.
Umbright (7-1) was utterly dominant, pitching a six-hit shutout with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
“I’m so proud of Grant,” Stock said. “I can’t remember a better outing. He was so good, so tough. I feel like his fastball was so heavy, they did not do much with it.”
The Red Devils didn’t do much with Umbright’s off-speed pitches, either.
“During a lot of the season, I wasn’t feeling it, especially my change-up,” Umbright said. “It was struggling a little bit, so I was kind of getting hit around a little bit.
“But coming in here, adrenaline was pumping, most fans I’ve ever seen in my life, I was feeling excellent. I was able to find my change-up, and that was a real put-away pitch the whole game.”
Kenady’s clutch plays helped the Redhawks put the game away.
“Most memorable one was probably the slide,” he said. “I knew Cooperkawa would bring me in, and that slide, we sealed the deal.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.