Senior third baseman Brandon Pritchard battled down a long road back from a knee injury. Now, he’s helping Lincoln-Way West make history.
Pritchard, a North Central College recruit, dislocated his kneecap last season, missing several games before returning to become the designated hitter.
Surgery followed in the offseason, but Pritchard made sure he was ready for what he knew would be a special senior year.
“It was tough,” Pritchard said of the rehab process. “It was painful. All I kept thinking was, ‘I want to be ready for the season.’ I had to do whatever it took. I did therapy as many days a week as I needed to do and I was here for the season.”
He was there at plate Saturday to lead the Warriors to their biggest win ever.
Pritchard drove in three runs as second-seeded Lincoln-Way West grabbed a 5-3 victory over the top-seeded host Porters in the Class 4A Lockport Sectional championship game.
It’s the first baseball sectional title for the Warriors.
“We went into the season knowing we had something special going,” Pritchard said. “Not everybody else believed in us, but we believed in ourselves.
“To see it all come to fruition is really special. There are no words to describe it.”
Tyler Koscinski went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and Cole Crafton had an RBI single and scored two runs for the Warriors (25-6-1), who will take on Brother Rice (34-5) at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Crestwood Supersectional.
Griffin Brown doubled and scored a run for Lockport (34-4), while Matt Merk had a single and Lucas Pajeau added an RBI.
But the powerful Porters, who entered averaging nine runs a game, were held to two hits.
Junior pitcher Reagan King stymied Lockport for 6 2/3 innings, working around seven walks and allowing two earned runs before reaching the pitch limit and having to depart with one out left in the seventh.
Carter LaMarche got the final out with help from Koscinski, who made a great play at shortstop on a grounder.
King received a big ovation from a huge crowd when he came out of the game. All of his teammates exited the dugout to congratulate him.
“I guess they love me now,” King said. “They’ve stuck besides me all year, through the ups and downs, so to get this win and have them come out there for me, it feels surreal.”
Pritchard provided the run support, ripping a two-run single up the middle in the third inning to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead.
“He threw me a curveball inside and then I was like, ‘He’s going to throw me off-speed again,'” Pritchard said of Lockport pitcher CJ Byrdak. “I stayed back, got the pitch I was looking for and drove it up the middle.”
Lincoln-Way West coach Jake Zajc expected Pritchard to deliver.
“Brandon’s been coming through these four games in the playoffs,” Zajc said. “I’m happy for him. We put him fourth in the lineup for a reason.”
King lost his control in the fourth, walking three, hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch. Lockport took advantage with three runs to pull even.
But King regained his form from there, with Crafton putting the Warriors back on top for good with an RBI single in the sixth.
The loss ended a terrific season for Lockport under first-year coach Scott Malinowski.
“I want to tip our cap to Lincoln-Way West,” Malinowski said. “There’s a lot to be thankful for. Our coaches and players are unbelievably special.
“Our guys 100% bought in from day one and we’ll be forever indebted to them for the joy they brought us.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.