Minooka downs Sandburg in IHSBCA tournament

By Drake Skleba

LOCKPORT- All week long, Minooka had been playing stellar defense. From the routine to the superb, Minooka defenders were proving the old adage that pitching and defense wins championships.

In Thursday night’s 4-3 win over Sandburg in the IHSBCA Lockport Summer Regional championship game, the Indians saved their best for last.

Unofficial Lockport Regional MVP, Minooka right-hander Trevor Maly, took a 4-2 lead into the top of the seventh. Maly, who fired a three-hit shutout in Minooka’s 6-0 win on Monday over Lincoln-Way East and picked up the save in the Indians 5-2 10-inning win in the semis against, L-W West, was on cruise control.

The heat and humidity took its toll on Maly.  Unable to get a proper grip on the baseball due to perspiration, Maly proceeded to walk the first two hitters on eight pitches. Petrovic went to his ace right-hander, Illinois State-bound Mitch Vogrin. Eagle pitcher Ben Gresla beat out a perfectly placed bunt for a single and when the third baseman threw the ball away, Eagle Dan Santiago crossed the plate pulling the Eagles within one run at 4-3.

“I’m not a strikeout pitcher,” said Maly. “I throw about 79 and I pitch to contact. It’s all about my amazing defense. In the seventh I just couldn’t grip the baseball because I was perspiring so much. The first game of a double-elimination tournament is the biggest. St. Rita is a great team but if we continue to play like we have been, we’ll be alright.”

Vogrin walked Eagle No. 9 hitter Ben Kociper, to reload the bases. Kociper’s single with two outs and a 1-2 count, ignited the Eagles four-run seventh in the Eagles 4-1 win over Providence in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Eagle leadoffman Jim Landgraf, lifted a fly ball to Indian right-fielder Sean Bell in medium right-field. Bell made the catch and fired a one-hop strike to Indian catcher Tyler Desmairais, who blocked the plate and tagged Eagle Peter Paxinos for the second out of the inning.

“Mitch throws hard and I thought the ball could be hit to me,” said Bell. “I caught the ball and made a good throw and Des blocked the plate for us and made the tag. It’s awesome to be going to state. On Monday we have to continue to play great defense and hopefully are bats will wake up.”

“As soon as I saw Sean catch the ball I knew he would make the perfect throw,” said Desmairais. “Sean made the throw and I was able to complete the play. It’s an honor to be the first Minooka team to go to Summer State.”  

With the tying run on third, Sandburg’s Jimmy Roche hit a roller behind the pitcher’s mound.  Indian first baseman Cole Thompson made a great pick-up and throw to the streaking Vogrin who got the game-ending out on a bang-bang- play at first, just getting the speedy Roche by a half-step.

“It feels really good to win this championship, said Vogrin. “We have a great bunch of new guys that really can play defense. It was nerve-racking in the seventh but I knew we would pull through.”

Sandburg (10-3-1) scored two runs off Maly in the second on an RBI double from Dan Santiago. Paxinos followed with an RBI single. Minooka (13-5-1) answered with four runs in the bottom of the third. Bell’s perfectly placed bunt single ignited the inning. Desmairais picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice and Thompson had an RBI single.

With the win the win, the Indians will meet St. Rita (12-4) at 10 a.m. at North Central College in Naperville on Monday. The Minooka-St. Rita contest will be a first-round game in the 2013 IHSBCA/Phil Lawler Summer State Tournament.

“First time in school history for us to be going to state,” said Petrovic. “I talked with you very early in the week about this team. We don’t have any big names but we play tremendous defense and I knew we could be successful. Trevor has a lot guts. He was pitching on two days rest and gave us everything we could ask of him. Sean is another gutsy kid and what a throw by him and Des really made a great play on the tag.”