By Drake Skleba

 

NEW LENOX - Joliet Catholic Academy needed eight exciting innings to end, once again, Lemont?s season. This time, JCA won 8-7 in the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday in a wild Class 3A Lincoln-Way West sectional semifinal.

 

JCA (23-9) scored the game-winner in the bottom of the eighth on an Indian miscue at first, which allowed Hilltopper junior 2B Zach Melone to beat the throw to the plate from first and allowed JCA to advance to Saturday morning?s Class 3A Lincoln-Way West Sectional Championship Game at 10, against No. 22 Oak Forest (24-7) and its University of Louisville junior recruit Kyle Funkhouser (10-0).

 

The game was billed as a baseball purist?s delight, with both squads ace hurler on the mound. For Lemont (24-9), University of Illinois-bound RHP Josh Ferry (9-4) was on the mound and for JCA, junior LHP Kevin Duchene (9-1), toed the rubber.

 

As what happens a lot in baseball, when you think the result of the game will be 1-0 or 2-1, the two offenses decide to take center stage. That was the case in New Lenox on a beautiful, June evening under the lights.

 

At the halfway point of the game, in the bottom of the fourth, the game was tied at 4-4. So much for the anticipated pitchers? duel. JCA sophomore C Alex Voitik had hammered a pair of doubles off of Ferry and driven in three runs for JCA. The super-soph leads the Hilltoppers with 27 RBI.

 

?I just went up to the plate and did what I had to help us win,? said Voitik. ?Josh Ferry is one of the best pitchers I have faced in my career. I was able to get a couple of good swings against him tonight.?

 

For Lemont, Ferry (3-for-4, 3B, 3 RBI) had an RBI single and Michigan State-bound Indian SS Kevin Goergen had also plated a run with a single. Junior 2B Gio Schmidt had a booming RBI triple for Lemont.

 

In the JCA half of the fourth, No. 9 hitter Zach Melone, ripped an RBI single to give JCA a 5-4 lead.

 

?I just battled at the plate all game,? said Melone. ?I knew being the No. 9 hitter I would get fastballs and I was able to get one for the big RBI single.

 

JCA tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth to extend its lead to 7-4. The Hilltoppers scored on a Lemont miscue and a big RBI double from junior DH Adrian Nunez.

 

Lemont?s SIU-bound LF Trevor Murphy opened up the Indian seventh with his second hit of the game. Duchene retired the next two hitters. With a 2-0 count on Goergen, JCA head coach Jared Voss went to his pen and brought in junior John Chignoli to replace Duchene. Chignoli would walk Goergen and bring to the plate Ferry, who crushed a Chignoli pitch to the right-centerfield fence. Hilltopper junior RF Nate Searing raced back and actually caught the ball before crashing into the fence and have the ball drop out of his glove. Both baserunners scored and when the relay to the infield was botched, Ferry who had a triple, danced home with the tying run.

 

Chignoli (3-1) retired the Indians in the top of the eighth.

 

Melone opened up the JCA eighth with a walk off Lemont reliever, junior LHP Tyler Jay (4-3). Searing was hit by a pitch. Voitik singled for his third hit of the game to load the bases. Jay got a huge strikeout for the first out. JCA sophomore 1B Ryan Peter hit a roller to Ferry at first. Ferry bobbled the roller and fired to the plate late to get Melone and JCA was on their way to Saturday?s championship game.

 

?This was a wild game but I am glad we came out on top,? said Voss. ?Alex Voitik as a sophomore, it was great to see him not be intimidated by Ferry. He had a couple of big hits for us. Zach Melone is a scrappy player for us and did a great job for us today. At least we get to practice tomorrow for Funkhouser on Saturday.?