Prep Baseball Report

Plainfield North Stays Hot, Advances to 4A State Title Game


By Tino Abarca
Illinois Staff

JOLIET, Ill. – In the highly-anticipated nightcap, Plainfield North scored in three consecutive innings, powered by a three-run third to cruise past the Sandburg Eagles in the 4A state semifinal in front of nearly 3,000 spectators. The Tigers of Plainfield North scored three runs in the third and three more in the fifth which fared too much for Sandburg to overcome as the Eagles fell, 7-3.

In the third, Sean Tillmon led off the inning with a single to right. Greg Budig followed with a single of his own, and Garret Cook reached on an error to load the bases for his senior shortstop Gavin Doyle. The Western Michigan commit lined a Tommy Windt offering up the middle scoring Tillmon and Budig. Cook came around to score on a wild pitch to cap the game-changing inning.

The Tigers pushed another run across in the fourth when Calvin Cangilla scored on a Ryan Summers single.

The fifth featured more of the same for the Tigers when Doyle reached on an error by Eagles center fielder to begin the frame. Cameron Kissel and Cangilla reached before Tillmon knocked two in on a single. Tigers plated one more before the inning’s end, extending their lead to 7-0.

Eagles managed to plate a run in the fifth when they used two straight two-out singles to plate Branden Comia. Andrew Tenison picked up the RBI on the run-scoring single - his second of the game.

Sandburg wouldn’t go down quietly, as Ryan Hampe and Tenison drove in a run in the seventh, but the rally fell short.

Brady Miller, a Western Michigan commit, went hitless at the plate but his impact wasn't needed at the dish. He starred in his 115-pitch outing, going 6.2 innings of three-run ball. He allowed seven hits, two earned, two walks and struck out nine Eagles. Miller worked behind a fastball that reached as high as 91 mph in the early innings. He routinely painted the fastball to both sides of the plate leading to a number of his strikeouts.

Miller only allowed a handful of runners to reach scoring position - three scored.

Hampe went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

Four Tigers had multi-hit games; two drove in a pair.

Plainfield North takes on Huntley in the 4A state championship game slated for 5 p.m. The Tigers look to place for the second time in three years under head coach John Darlington.

Sandburg will meet Lake Park in the third place match up preceding the title game.

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