By Drake Skleba

 

EVANSTON ? One inning. That?s all it took for No. 5 Glenbrook North (31-3) to win the Class 4A Evanston Regional Championship. On a beautiful sunny Memorial Day, the Spartans erased a 1-0 Maine South lead when they exploded for six runs in the bottom of the third en route to their 6-2 victory Monday.

 

Glenbrook North?s 6-foot-5 senior RHP Alex Hermeling (8-1) went the distance, firing a four-hitter at the Hawks. Hermeling struck out 10, including three in a wild seventh inning.

 

?I located pitches very well and the six-run third was a big help,? said Hermeling.

?After the bad first inning I found my breaking ball and was obsessed with winning this game.?

 

Maine South (21-10) jumped out in front in the top of the first against Hermeling. Hawk leadoff man junior LF Nick Calabrese singled and scored the first run of the game on an RBI single by senior 3B John Fabiano. 

 

Spartan junior 2B Brad Ruchman started and finished the GBN bottom of the third. Ruchman led off the inning with a booming double. Ruchman would score the tying run on an RBI single by junior Chad Bruce. Bruce would score the go-ahead run on an RBI single by Spartan senior DH Sean Thomas.

 

Senior LF Jack Day (2-for-3, 2B, 2RBI) plated a pair with a double.

 

?This was a huge win for us over a good team,? said Day. ?I was very aggressive at the plate and I put a good swing on the ball and drove home two big RBIs. It?s been a great season with the 31 wins. We have great team chemistry and I think it will take us far.?

 

After the second out of the inning was recorded, senior 3B Ryan Slawin ripped a two-run double to make the score 6-1. Maine South junior RHP Keenan Kelly came in to relive Hawk starting pitcher Pat Aloiso (3-3) and struck out Ruchman to end the big six-run Spartan explosion.

 

?We got great pitching today. We played good defense and smart team baseball and it got us a big win,? said Slawin. ?I failed in my first at-bat to drive home Jack (Day) and I had to stay aggressive at the plate and get those big two runs in.?

 

Maine South closed to 6-2 on an RBI double by junior Jimmy Frankos in the fifth.

 

Maine South would load the bases in top of the seventh on a couple of Spartan miscues and a walk. Hermeling finished the game with a flourish, picking up his 10^th strikeout of the game and the third of the inning.

 

Spartan senior SS Bret Synek had a 3-for-4 day to continue his hot hitting.

 

?We came into this game with a lot of intensity,? said Synek. ?We had the big six-run third. Our lineup 1-9 is very good. I had a good day at the plate. I did what I could to help the team win.?

 

Maine South?s Kelly fired 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the Hawks.

 

?We battled right to the very end,? said Maine South head coach Bill Milano. ?Keenan Kelly was outstanding for us in relief. We could afford to give a great team like GBN two runs in that inning, but not six. We had a great season. It was the first time we have had back-to-back 20-win seasons, since 2003-2004.?

 

Glenbrook North will now advance to the Class 4A Glenbrook South Sectional semifinals. The Spartans will face Loyola (16-18) on Thursday at 4:30. The Ramblers surprised Glenbrook South 8-2 to win the Class 4A Niles Notre Dame Regional Championship on Saturday.

 

?Alex (Hermeling) pitched outstanding for us,? said GBN head coach Dom Savino. ?It was nice to string those hits together in the third inning. The key hits in the inning were the doubles from Day and Slawin. We have a couple days to get ready for Loyola on Thursday.?