By Sean Duncan

ELK GROVE – Did Glenbard North centerfielder Dave Wolak make the full-out diving catch, or did he trap it? Depending on which fan you polled, you’d get a different answer. Same holds true with the umpires. Neither seemed sure; nevertheless, the field ump ruled Wolak’s impressive effort in right-center field a trap, which allowed two York runs score.

The umpire’s ruling in the fourth inning wound up being the deciding factor in York’s 4-3 victory over Glenbard North in the Elk Grove Regional semifinal Friday.  

“He called it a base hit, so I’m going with it,” said York coach Dave Kalal, whose team won its ninth straight, and now advances to Saturday’s regional final against No. 5 St. Charles North. “It’s about time something like that went our way.”

Here was the situation. York (23-13) had already scored a run to tie the game 2-2 in the top of the fourth of this well-pitched contest. With two outs and runners on first and second, an error on the shortstop loaded up the bases with sophomore catcher Kyle Burr coming to the plate. Burr flared a ball to right-center field, and Wolak, who was shaded on the left side of center, made a sprawling effort at the ball. To the naked eye, it appeared to be a catch, but the umpire ruled it hit the ground and two runs scored, giving the Dukes a 4-2 advantage.

“His hand was underneath the baseball,” said Glenbard North coach Rich Smelko. “What upset me was the umpire didn’t even bother to move.”

York starting pitcher Steve Adkins (8-3) made the lead stand up, but not before Glenbard North (21-15) rallied in the bottom of the seventh to make it interesting. The Panthers cobbled together two hits and an error to cut the lead to 4-3. With runners on first and second and one out, senior left fielder Ryan Broviak ripped a shot, but sophomore second baseman Jake Rzeszutko, who hasn’t made an error all season, snared the liner and flipped to shortstop Bobby Fisher for the game-ending double play.

“When he hit that ball, my heart was racing,” said Adkins. “But Jake made a great catch. Jake’s been phenomenal all season. He’s probably the best second baseman I’ve ever played with.”

Adkins allowed seven hits and one earned run in his complete-game effort, striking out five with no walks. First baseman Joe Boozell provided the offense, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Boozell’s solo home run in the second inning gave York a 1-0 lead, and his run-scoring single tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth.

Glenbard North junior right-hander Andrew Bergmann (8-5) had York off-balance all game. Bergmann went the distance, yielding six hits and two earned runs with seven strikeouts and one walk. Junior third baseman led Glenbard North at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double and a RBI.