By his standards, Oswego’s Tyler Stack has had an up-and-down season offensively.
So when the senior catcher tripled to lead off the second inning Thursday against conference rival Plainfield North, the celebration of finally getting a big hit came out.
“There was a little bit of built-up emotion,” Stack said of his unexpected reaction. “Anything to get the guys going, especially in a playoff game, getting that first run is huge.
“Getting the guys going is something I try to do.”
The Xavier recruit got his team going all day, producing two big hits for the third-seeded Panthers in a 6-0 victory over the Tigers in a Class 4A Romeoville Sectional semifinal.
Stack broke out with a two-run double in the third and an RBI single in the fifth to power Oswego (26-11) to an 11 a.m. Saturday game against Oswego East for the sectional title.
Noah Mottet earned the win, striking out four in five innings. He allowed two hits and two walks. Drake Dunnett drove in two runs. Trey Hernandez and Ethan Valles had two hits.
Oswego coach Joe Giarrante was happy to see Stack, who scored on a double by Troy Vosburgh, release his frustrations when he got to third base in the second inning.
“He is just such a good kid,” Giarrante said of Stack. “He works so hard at things. He puts in the extra time. He deserves every bit of it. It was only a matter of time. He was in a little funk, for sure, like we’ve never seen him before.
“Even with his presence in the lineup, it still allows other guys to get better pitches to hit and things like that. For him to capitalize big time with the triple and the RBIs was huge.”
Despite the offensive struggles, Stack earned praise from Giarrante for his work behind the plate. He’s helped Oswego’s pitching staff work 21 scoreless innings this postseason.
“He truly is the unsung hero,” Giarrante said of his veteran catcher. “He does such a good job working with the pitchers and communicating with me and talking about things.
“A lot of the things that go on behind the scenes with him are far more valuable.”
Stack credited his ability to separate his offense and defense as a reason why he can contribute when his bat goes quiet.
“Every day, you’re not going to have your best day, right?” Stack said. “But you have to contribute in any way possible. If I’m not having the best day at the plate, I really have to turn up on defense and contribute as much as possible.”
Stack was tasked Thursday with catching Mottet, who found out about the last-minute decision Wednesday night.
“You always have to stay ready,” Mottet said. “I got a text from a couple of my teammates asking for my number. I got a little bit suspicious. I got the call and I didn’t pick it up because I didn’t know whose number it was.
“I heard the voice mail, got the message and got ready to go.”
Mottet faced a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning, but wiggled out unscathed on a weak pop out.
“I seem to get in jams a lot, and Tyler is always great at settling me down,” Mottet said. “We’re always able to get out of those.”
As a result, Oswego is back in the sectional championship game for the second straight season. The Panthers will see a familiar opponent in crosstown rival Oswego East.
“There’s going to be a lot of built-up emotions on both sides,” Stack said. “We know that when we are who we are and we keep it on us, regardless of what they’re saying on the other side, we can do anything.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.