By Drake Skleba

 

CRESTWOOD - In a battle of two storied programs, Carmel of Mundelein outlasted St. Rita 6-5 in the third game of the Southside Conference Challenge at Standard Bank Stadium on Sunday.

 

With the bases loaded and one out and Carmel clinging to a 6-5 lead in the top of the seventh, St. Rita sophomore Zach Soria ripped a shot up the middle that looked ticketed for center field and, at the very least, the tying run would score. Carmel senior second baseman Dave Cook made a spectacular diving stop of Soria’s smash and flipped the ball to Corsair shortstop Mike Pudlo. Pudlo tagged second for the force and fired a strike to Corsair first baseman Chris Divarco. Soria was called out on a bang-bang play at first and the Corsairs had a thrilling 6-5 win.

 

Cook, a sixth-inning defensive replacement at second, made Carmel head coach Joe May look like a genius.

 

“Coach put me in at second in the sixth for my defense,” said Cook. “It is my job to make plays like that. I was ready for the ball to be hit to me and I made the play. My shortstop gets a lot of credit for making a super play as well. This was a great win for us over one of the best teams in the state.”

 

St. Rita (9-2) jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead against Carmel’s St. Joseph’s- bound lefty Cale St. Clair (1-1). Junior RF Sean Kalisz ripped a clutch two-out , two-run single followed by NIU-bound Anthony Andres, who stroked another RBI single and the Mustangs led 3-0.

 

Carmel (5-2) erupted for five runs, highlighted by an RBI double by Divarco and a booming two-run triple by senior RF Derek Jordan. The Corsairs picked up the fifth run of the inning on an RBI groundout by centerfielder Brian Serio.

 

“I was really happy to get the big triple,” said Jordan. “I actually lost sight of the ball but just kept on running. This was a great win for us, our fifth in a row.”

 

Carmel added an unearned run in the second. St. Rita picked up another two-out RBI in the fourth on a single by sophomore 3B Stefano Belmonte (2-for-4, RBI).

 

“It really feels good to win in front of this big crowd, in this great facility,” said St. Clair. “St. Rita has so many good hitters, I had to keep the ball down. I was really tough with runners on base today.”

 

St. Clair was relieved after five by senior RHP Jon Huisel, who retired Rita in the sixth. To open the Rita seventh, Huisel walked Kalisz. May went to his pen and brought in Corsair closer senior Nick Battalini. Battalini had control problems, walking Andres and after a super sac-bunt by senior Austin Bilotto (1-for-2), he hit pinch hitter Brian Sicher and then walked leadoff man Kyle Stearns to force in a run and bring the Mustangs to within 6-5.

 

May brought in third baseman Jimmy Spagna in to pitch to Soria. Soria ripped Spagna’s offering into the waiting hands of defensive specialist Cook, and the senior second baseman served up the fifth straight Corsair win of 2010.

 

“Dave Cook plays late in our ballgames because of his great defensive abilities,” said May. “What a sensational play and what a great win for us. Cale (St. Clair) battled for us on the mound. I was so happy to see Derek Jordan get the big triple. He had been beating himself up about not driving the ball lately. Our first two games were terrible but we have turned it around and are playing much better baseball now.”

 

St. Rita left 13 men on base. Soria had a 2-for-5 day with a pair of stolen bases.

 

“Well, we have been coming from behind in our games recently,” said St. Rita head coach Mike Zunica. “We fell a little short today. We left a lot of men on base but I think we had a number of quality at bats. It took an outstanding play to beat us. That’s baseball.”