JOLIET - For the last three years T.J. Swank has dominated hitters with his submarine-style pitching, usually demonstrating pinpoint accuracy with tremendous movement.

On the biggest stage, in the Class 4A state championship Saturday night, the right-hander wasn’t his usual self on the mound. But Swank still found a way to help deliver Prairie Ridge its first state championship.

The Coastal Carolina-bound Swank drove in two runs, including the game-tying triple that propelled Prairie Ridge to a 3-2 victory over Oak Park in the Class 4A state championship game at Joliet's Silver Cross Field.

“I didn’t have my best stuff on the mound,” said Swank, who was 10-1 this season. “If I can’t get it done on the mound, I’ll give everything I can with the stick. I just tried to give the team the best chance to win.”

Prairie Ridge, appearing in its first state tournament, finished its dream season with a school-record 32-8 mark under first-year coach Dave Haskins.

Trailing 2-1 against Northern Illinois-bound Kyle Glancy, who had allowed two hits through five innings, the Wolves managed to push two runs across to seal the win.

Nick Martini led off the inning with a single, then scored his second run of the game on Swank's towering blast to center field. Kevin Kaczmarski came in to pinch run for Swank, and he soon scored on junior Nolan Jacoby's sacrifice fly.

Martini earned the win by throwing three innings of scoreless relief, including striking out the game’s final batter with the tying run on second base. Martini also got the win in Prairie Ridge's supersectional win in relief.

“This is just an unbelievable feeling,” said Martini.

Swank allowed three hits, three runs, struck out four, walked two and hit two batters in four innings.

Oak Park, playing in its seventh state tournament, finished 29-10. Oak Park standout shortstop Jo Jo Maldanado continued to swing the hottest bat in the state tournament. He followed up his 4-for-4, two-home run, six-RBI performance in the semifinals with another stellar all-around showing in the title game.

The 6-foot, 180-pound junior staked Oak Park to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when he drove a double to deep center field to score junior Sam Picchiotti, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the first. In the fifth he scalded a single so hard that it literally broke third baseman Mike Butler's glove.

Maldanado also showed off his defensive skills in the early innings. In the first he made a leaping grab to snag Nick Martini's line drive with a Prairie Ridge runner on third base. Then, in the second inning, he made a phenomenal diving catch to his left, popped up and fired a laser to first base to double the runner off.

Prairie Ridge tied it 1-1 when Glancy issued his first walk of the game to Martini in the fourth. Martini proceeded to steal second, advance to third on a wild pitch and scored on T.J. Swank's groundout to shortstop.

Swank and Prairie Ridge dodged a big inning in the bottom of the fourth. The Huskies were the beneficiaries of two hits, an error and two walks, but only managed one run on Swank's bases-loaded walk to Picchiotti. Swank, who was helped by catcher David Mitroff throwing out a base-stealer at third base, induced a groundout to third to get out of the inning.

“I asked the kids a few weeks ago to leave this program better than it was when they got here,” Oak Park coach Chris Ledbetter said. “And it is. I’m an emotional guy, so right now it hurts. But I know I’ll wake up tomorrow and be very proud.”