By Drake Skleba
Senior Writer

For Games from Saturday June 1

CLASS 4A SECTIONAL CHAMPIONONSHIP GAMES

(IN BRACKET ORDER)

CRESTWOOD SUPERSECTIONAL

REAVIS 

No. 2 Mount Carmel 5, No. 3 St. Rita 4

(See Story)

Mount Carmel (31-8), St. Rita (31-8)

www.prepbaseballreport.com Drake Skleba play-by-play

PROVIDENCE 

No. 5 Lockport 10, Lincoln-Way East 0

Lockport (32-7) crushed the Griffins behind a five-hit shuout from senior RHP Eric Duzan (8-1). Duzan let the Porter defense do their thing, striking out only two Griffin hitters. Red-hot Austin Kolmodin highlighted the seven-run Porter fourth with a grand-slam. Jeff Duschene singled doubled and plated three Porter runs.

Lockport will meet No. 2 Mount Carmel (31-8) in the Crestwood Standard Bank Stadium Supersectional on Monday, June 3 at 7 p.m.

You can watch the game LIVE at www.prepbaseballreport.highschoolcube.com w/ the PBR’s Drake Skleba with the call.

(Also see story)

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS SUPERSECTIONAL

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 11 (POSTPONED TO MONDAY JUNE 3 AT 6)

No. 12 Moline vs. No. 23 Alton 11

Moline (25-9) Alton (27-9)

NEUQUA VALLEY 10

No. 17 Neuqua Valley 12, Downers Grove North, 4

Neuqua Valley (29-9) spotted Downers Grove North (22-12) a 4-1 lead after 2 ½ innings, before exploding for 11 runs over the next four innings, to crush the Trojans on Saturday. Matt Butler led the Wildcat attack with a pair of doubles and four RBI while red-hot Josh Piotrowski singled, tripled, homered and plated three for the rampaging Wildcats. Dylan Goss chipped in with a single and a pair of RBI.

St. Cloud State-bound LHP Danny Mokrzycki allowed three runs in five innings to pick up the win. Creighton-bound RHP David Gerber fired two hitless innings with four strikeouts to nail down the save.

Neuqua Valley will await Monday’s Illinois Wesleyan Sectional Championship Game winner, between No. 12 Moline and No. 23 Alton. The Wildcats will meet the winner at 4:30 at the Class 4A University of Illinois Supersectional in Champaign.

ROCKFORD RIVERHAWKS SUPERSECTIONAL 2

HUNTLEY

Jacobs 9, Dundee-Crown 0

Jacobs (25-11) advanced to the IHSBCA Phil Lawler Summer State Tournament Elite 8 last July. On Saturday the Golden Eagles advanced to the Elite 8 of Class 4A tournament with a resounding victory over DC. Eagle senior RHP Nick Ledinsky (7-2) fired a two-hit shutout at the Chargers with six strikeouts and a pair of walks.

The Golden Eagles put four runs on the board in each of the first two innings to put this game away early. Ledinsky helped himself at the plate with a single, double and two RBI. Connor Conzelman added a single, double and also plated a pair for the Eagles. Grant Kale and Aaron Meciej each had two singles and an RBI. Matt Hickey chipped in with a perfect 2-for-2 day with a run scored for Jacobs. 

ST. CHARLES EAST

St. Charles East 5, No. 21 Wheaton North 3

St. Charles East (27-11) spotted Wheaton North (26-10) a 3-0 first-inning lead and then rolled past the Falcons on Saturday behind Nick Huskisson, Brian Sobieski and Anthony Sciarrino. Huskisson (7-1) allowed three runs in his five innings of work on the mound to pick up the win. Huskisson helped himself with a double and an RBI at the plate. Sobieski, who doubled, and Sciarrino, who singled, each chipped in with an RBI.

The Fighting Saints of St. Charles East will battle the Golden Eagles of Jacobs in the second of two Rockford Riverhawks Supersectionals on Monday in Rockford at 7. 

ROCKFORD RIVERHAWKS SUPERSECTIONAL 1

GLENBROOK NORTH

Libertyville 2, Stevenson 0

(See Story)

Libertyville (27-11-1), Stevenson (21-12) 

NILES WEST 10:30

Maine South 6 No. 10 Oak Park 1

Maine South (24-9) rolled past defending Class 4A state champion Oak Park (28-12) behind a brilliant performance from senior LHP Mike Virgilio (5-2). Virgilio allowed four hits and struck out nine in his stellar six-inning stint on the mound. Hawk junior RH Closer Bobby Pennington slammed the door on the Huskies in the seventh to nail down his eighth save of the season.

Senior 1B Adam Depkon hammered a two-run bomb in the second inning to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead they would never relinquish. Marty Balow and Caleb DiMarigny in the three-run Hawk third. Eastern Illinois-bound Frankie Perrone chipped in with two hits and two runs scored. 

CLASS 3A SECTIONAL FINALS

(In Bracket Order)

NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE SUPERSECTIONAL

GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL

Grayslake Central 6, Wauconda 4

Grayslake Central (26-12) opened up a 6-0 lead over the Bulldogs and held on to defeat Wauconda (20-7) on Saturday. Kyle Balling singled and plated a pair of Ram runs while Kyle Clark had two singles and an RBI. Phil Burba chipped in with a 2-for-2 day with two runs scored.

Ram closer Erik Skutnick was brilliant in relief, firing 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to nail down the save for Ram starter Jack Spicer. Spicer allowed four runs and four hits in 4 2/3 inings.

NAZARETH

Nazareth 7, Clemente 3

Nazareth (27-11-1), who has taken home the Class 3A fourth and third place trophy the last two years, moved to within a win away from bringing home another as the Roadrunners dispatched   Clemente (21-9) on Saturday. Junior Jake Bartels had a single and a pair of runs while Pat Houlihan had a single a double and an RBI for Nazareth.

Junior Pete Minella allowed three runs in six innings of work to pick up the win. Roadrunner RH closer Mike Greene fired a scoreless seventh to nail down the save.

AUGUSTANA COLLEGE SUPERSECTIONAL

SYCAMORE

St. Francis 1, Sycamore 0

St. Francis (23-11) slipped past the Sycamore Spartans, behind a combined five-hit shutout from RHP Jack Petrando and closer Andy Brundage. Petrando fired 6 1/3 innings of five-hit ball and Brundage fired 2/3 innings of scoreless relief to nail down the save and the sensational championship.  

In the top of the seventh, Jake Radel singled home Tom Zettinger, who had singled, with the lone run of the ballgame.  

WASHINGTON

No. 8 Metamora 7, No. 24 Peoria Notre Dame 4

Metamora (32-5) opened up a 6-0 lead on the Fighting of Peoria Notre Dame (26-9) and rolled to the sectional championship. Sophomore Ethan Skender led the Redbird attack with a single double and two RBI. Bradley University-bound Spencer Gaa was 3-for-3 with three singles, a run scored and an RBI.

Super-Soph Trent Johnson (9-1) allowed four runs and four hits in his six innings of work to pick up the win. Johnson had 11 punch-outs on the day and now has 97 strikeouts in 70 innings pitched. Metamora will meet Wheaton St. Francis (21-11) on Monday in the Class 3A Augustana College Supersectional at 4:30.

SAUGET SUPERSECTIONAL

EFFINGHAM (POSTPONED MONDAY, JUNE 3 4:30)

Mount Vernon, Troy-Triad

Mount Vernon (29-8-1) Troy-Triad (25-10)

SPRINGFIELD (POSTPONED TO MONDAY JUNE 3)

Bloomington 9, No. 19 Chatham Glenwood 7

Bloomington claimed its first sectional title since 1970 when it rallied to win in eight innings.

CRESTWOOD SUPERSECTIONAL

ST. IGNATIUS

Harlan 7, Jones 5

Harlan (22-11) outlasted Jones to advance to Monday’s Class 3A Crestwood Standard Bank Stadium Supersectional at 4:30 against No. 15 Joliet Catholic Academy (22-14) 

You can watch the game LIVE at www.prepbaseballreport.highschoolcube.com w PBR’s Drake Skleba on the call.

LINCOLN-WAY WEST

No. 15 Joliet Catholic Academy 13, Evergreen Park 0

Joliet Catholic Academy’s (22-14) senior RHP Sam Couch (5-1) is hands-down the hottest pitcher in Illinois. In his last three starts, Couch has pitched 21 scoreless innings, allowing just seven hits. Couch has 31 punch-outs, 15 of them coming in today’s Hilltopper win with three walks. On May 17 against No. 3 St. Rita, Couch fired a five-hit shutout leading the Hilltoppers to a 1-0 Steven M. Bajenski Memorial Tournament Semifinal victory.  In a Class 3A Lemont Regional Semifinal game, Couch fired a no-no at Lincoln Way West.

On Saturday, Couch punched-out 15 Evergreen Park Mustangs for his third consecutive shutout, a two-hitter. Sophomore Nick Dalesandro gave his buddy Couch all the run support he would need. The Hilltopper super-soph had three singles, scored a run and plated four to lead the “Topper onslaught. Junior Aaron Markley added two hits and two RBI. Sophomore Mitch Boe chipped in with a single double scored three times and drove one home.