By Drake Skleba

 

LISLE ? Lincoln-Way North?s Reed Hero once again lived up to his name, as the junior first baseman came through to lead the Phoenix to an 8-5 victory over Prairie Ridge to win the 2011 IHSBCA Phil Lawler Summer State Championship on Friday at Benedictine University.

 

In the top of the seventh, in the resumption of Thursday night?s suspended championship game, Hero ripped a single to left, scoring Phoenix junior catcher Ryan Pellack from third base to put the Phoenix up 6-5. Hero was the recipient of the 2011 Jack Kaiser Most Valuable Player Award.

 

Pellack had singled to lead off the seventh inning, about 17 hours earlier, as the last batter on Thursday night. Mother Nature put on her own fireworks show as lightning forced the stoppage of the game. After an hour and forty-five minute delay the game was suspended at 11:30 p.m. and resumed Friday at 2:10 p.m.

 

Phoenix No. 9 hitter junior SS Josh Handzik came through with a clutch, two-run single to give Phoenix winning pitcher and All-Tournament selection Josh Reid a cushion going into the bottom of the seventh.

 

?It?s really great to win the state championship.? said Pellack. ?Everyone on our team did what we had to do to win this championship.?

 

Reid, who recorded the last out in Thursday night?s PR 6^th inning, retired the first two Prairie Ridge hitters in the seventh. The never-say-die Wolves received back-to-back singles from senior RF Nick Samuels and senior DH Nick Bianchi. Samuels and Bianchi led the Wolves with three hits apiece. Reid induced the final Wolves hitter to fly to centerfielder Corey Krupske and the Phoenix had raised themselves up from the loser?s bracket to state champions.

 

Prairie Ridge (38-21) got on the board first in the bottom of the first on a sac-fly from All-Tournament selection junior CF Jordan Getzelman. Lincoln-Way North (21-3) answered with a three spot in the top of the second. A single from senior DH Dom Hartman (2-for-3, SF, 2 RBI) scored All-Tournament selection senior 3B Jack Troike and senior RF Carter Bialka, both of whom walked. Bialka scored on an over throw at the plate.

 

Prairie Ridge tied the game at 3-3 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. The Wolves scored on a wild pitch and a Phoenix miscue.

 

Both teams plated a pair of runs in the sixth. L-W North Troike singled and scored on a sac-fly from Hartman and the Phoenix scored the second run on a Wolves miscue.

 

Prairie Ridge answered with a pair of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Wolves senior Kyle Hodorowicz singled home a run to make the score 5-4. Getzelman came through again with a game-tying single to even things at 5. Reid entered the game, and induced a ground ball to short, with two Wolves aboard to preserve the tie.

 

Pellack led off the seventh with his single and then Mother Nature spoiled the party and put an end to Thursday night?s festivities.

 

Lincoln-Way North, coming off a 30-4 spring for Phoenix head coach Joe Skarbek, fell to Prairie Ridge 4-2 in an opening-round game on Monday. The Phoenix soared through the loser?s bracket defeating St. Joseph and Neuqua Valley on Tuesday and crushed Maine South 11-3 in Wednesday?s championship semifinal.

 

?It?s a dream come true,? said Skarbek. ?I have always loved high school baseball since junior high and to be state champions is truly an outstanding accomplishment. The team taught me about never giving up. We came from behind numerous times in our championship run.

 

?Reed Hero is a great kid. I?ve known Reed a long time,? continued Skarbek.

?Coming to our camps, we knew he was going to be a great player. I am so happy for him in winning the MVP award.?

 

Reed Hero put on an amazing show in winning the Kaiser MVP Award. All the hard-hitting junior did was go 8-for-18 with three doubles, a two-run bomb in the semifinals and plate eight Phoenix runs. If that wasn?t enough, he played a solid first base.

 

?It feels amazing. It?s what you would ever dream of,? said Hero. ?I struggled last night and I really wanted to drive in Ryan Pellack with the winning run in the seventh. Winning the MVP is amazing. I had a great tournament but I couldn?t have done it without my teammates. I?m going to relax and lay on the beach and countdown the months until next spring. We can?t wait to do this again.?

 

Prairie Ridge concluded a tremendous summer for head coach Glen Pecararo. During the Wolves? run to the championship, Prairie Ridge pitchers picked off six base runners in the tourney.

 

?We kept fighting right to the end. As they say we ran out of innings,? said Pecoraro. ?I am so proud of these kids. We suffered through the worst spring in Prairie Ridge history this spring. To bounce back and win 38 games this summer is truly remarkable. We can?t wait for next spring.?

 

2011 IHSBCA/PHIL LAWLER ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

 

1B NEUQUA VALLEY            NICK BLACKBURN

2B MAINE SOUTH               JESUS SAAVEDRA

SS MARIAN CATHOLIC         BRAD BOHLEN

3B LINCOLN-WAY NORTH     JACK TROIKE

 C  MAINE SOUTH                JIMMY FRANKOS

DH PRAIRIE RIDGE              LUCAS KELLER

OF MACHESNY PK HARLEM   PARKER ANDERSON

OF LINCON-WAY NORTH      JOSH REID

OF PRAIRIE RIDGE              JORDAN GETZELMAN

  P PRAIRIE RIDGE               RYAN HARRIS

  P PRAIRIE RIDGE               TYLER TENNANT

  P LINCOLN-WAY NORTH     BO VENEZIO

 

2011 JACK KAISER MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD

LINCOLN-WAY NORTH         REED HERO