4A Super-Sectional: Lake Park's Dallmann tosses complete game to vault past Buffalo Grove

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – Under the lights of Boomer Stadium, Lake Park’s starter A.J. Dallmann took control of the spotlight by throwing a near-shutout but settled for a complete game, Super-Sectional victory, launching his team to Joliet for their first State tournament appearance in their program’s history.

The start was additionally important for Lake Park considering its No. 1 starter, Ryan Behling, was unavailable. He had previously thrown complete game victories against St. Charles North and Marmion Academy.

In order for Dallmann and the Lancers to pack their bags for Joliet, they’d need to surpass a Buffalo Grove team that’s managed three straight postseason walk-off wins. He encountered the Bison’s relentless attack in the first inning, too. Buffalo Grove led the game off with a single, and a walk. Dallmann had struck out the hero of Buffalo Grove’s last two wins, Mac Camardo, but an error in the outfield in the next at-bat loaded the bases with just one away. Dallmann dug in here and struck out Carter Gledhill and got T.J. Constertina to ground out right back at him to end the bases-loaded threat, swaying the momentum back to the Lancers’ dugout.

Buffalo Grove’s ace, Zach Fricke, was the one tasked to combat this Lake Park team that’s consistently found ways to win. Fricke worked a scoreless first frame but the Lancers got to him in the second. A lead-off single from Paul Beverly got things started and, eventually, he came around to score on another single up the middle from John DeConcilis.

All the while, Dallmann had made up for his laborious first inning by shifting into cruise control. He tossed a 1-2-3, seven-pitch second inning and pitched over another lead-off single from Fricke in the third. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, the Bison amassed just two baserunners on two non-threatening singles. While Dallmann sailed, his offense padded the lead he was pitching to protect.

One of the main storylines coming out of this game was Lake Park’s tenacity on the basepaths. Fricke did a tremendous job keeping the Lancers’ baserunners from getting into a rhythm, but it was apparent that Lake Park was looking to snag the extra base whenever possible. Finally, in the fifth, on one of Fricke’s numerous pick-off attempts over at first, he threw a one-hopper to his first baseman who couldn’t block it, allowing Casey Berner to get all the way to third base with no outs. A sacrifice fly from Rory Marino plated Lake Park’s second run and recorded their second out in the process. Zach Aehlert restarted the inning with his hard single to left and then stole second, just sneaking in ahead of the tag – and while Buffalo Grove’s infielders plead their case for the third out of the inning, Aehlert strolled into an unoccupied third to take the extra base on the steal. Beverly singled him home on a ground ball up the middle to grant Lake Park a 3-0 lead.

A scoreless sixth from both teams took the game to the seventh with Dallmann still on the mound. Quickly, he got two outs on a pop out to first and a slow roller to third. Yet again, Fricke refused to go down without a fight. He tripled into the right center gap and re-energized his team in the process.

A reminder: This Buffalo Grove team has produced some magical comebacks this postseason and this felt like a sequel to what they had already accomplished. Riley Rundquist singled Fricke home to bring the tying run, Bison’s folk hero Camardo, to the plate. Dallmann made sure the Bison’s fairy tale ended here, though, while Lake Park’s continued on when he struck out Camardo to end the game.

This Friday at 3 p.m., at Route 66 Stadium, the Lancers will take on Huntley in the 4A State semifinals. The winner of that game moves on to the State championship on June 9, where they’ll play either Plainfield North or Sandburg.

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