No. 20 Lyons Township ousts rival Oak Park to win regional title

May 31, 2014

By Sean Duncan
Executive Director

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – Two years ago, long-time rivals Lyons Township and Oak Park played in one of the most thrilling Class 4A state championship games in recent memory, with Oak Park winning it all.

On Saturday, the West Suburban Silver foes squared off again in the playoffs, only this time in the Lyons Township Regional final. In a game that featured amplified emotions for a regional contest, No. 20 Lyons Township exacted a measure of revenge with a 5-3 victory.

The Lions (27-8) advance to the loaded Reavis Sectional semifinal, where they will face No. 4 St. Rita. After a slow start of the season, Lyons Township has flown under the radar, but the perennial powerhouse has now won 17 consecutive games.

Lyons Township junior ace Tom Hickey, too, has flown under the radar despite entering the game with a 0.85 ERA. The 6-foot-4, 170-pound right-hander was unflappable on the mound as he tossed a three-hitter to improve to 8-1 on the season. Hickey struck out three, walked one, hit one batter and yielded two earned runs. He continuously pounded the inner half of the strike zone and showed the ability to locate three pitches for strikes. He also bore down when runners reached base on a two Lyons Township errors.

“I just try to clear the mechanism and get ahead of the count,” said Hickey, who just began pitching last summer. “If something bad happens behind you, I try not to let it affect me.”

With Oak Park (21-16) leading 2-1, Lyons pushed three runs across in the third inning without the benefit of a hit. Oak Park starter Keith Rogalla (5-3) hit Maximiliano Larsen to lead off the inning on a two-strike pitch, then proceeded to walk the next two batters. Right-hander Sam Cottingham-Beard was summoned into the game on a 2-0 count, and walked Connor Pavletic on a 3-2 slider. Cottingham-Beard then rolled a 6-4-3 double play that scored another run, and Lyons Township plated its third run on an error.

Lyons made it 5-3 in the sixth thanks to another unearned run. Sam Cybulski, who reached on a one-out error, scored on a wild pitch.

DH Buck Domabyl had an RBI groundout in the second, and also smoked a double, but was ultimately called out for missing first base. Senior Sam Heilenbach finished 1-for-2 with two walks, and Larsen reached base three times on a walk, hit by pitch and by error.

Oak Park, which entered the season highly ranked, scored twice in the third inning when Hickey hit Rogalla to lead off the inning, and sophomore shortstop Andrew Hennings laced a run-scoring single down the left-field line. Hennings eventually scored on an error. In the fourth, Ian Luttrell roped a one-out double, and scored on a wild pitch when Hickey decided to drop down from his over-the-top slot to three-quarter arm slot.

After that, Oak Park’s offense couldn’t figure out Hickey, who finished the fifth with a pair of strikeouts after yielding a leadoff single.

“He’s done that all year,” said Lyons Township coach George Ushela. “He’s pitched out of jams. He gets out of things. He’s a nice pitcher with big upside.”

No. 20 Lyons Township ousts rival Oak Park to win regional title

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