Baseball: Another winning reaction from Stevenson
Sometimes it's best not to think too hard about things.
That was the mindset for junior relief pitcher Justin Stark, who cleanly fielded a come-backer to the mound off the bat of Mundelein left fielder Cooper Michalski to start a textbook 1-2-3 double play to end the game and seal a 2-1 victory and Class 4A baseball sectional title for Stevenson on Saturday afternoon in Lincolnshire with the green and gold faithful going nuts.
In the state series thus far, the eighth-seeded Pats have knocked off top-seeded Glenbrook North, fifth seed Glenbrook South, and now Mundelein, which was the third seed.
Stevenson improved to 27-11-1 and heads to the Rockford supersectional at Aviators Stadium on Monday evening for a 6:30 p.m. date against Jacobs. The Patriots will be in pursuit of their first Elite Eight appearance since 2010, when they finished third in Class 4A.
"There was no time to think," said Stark, who wound up tossing 2 scoreless innings of relief ball after taking over for starter and winning pitcher Jake Nusinow in the top of the sixth. "I knew I had to go home for the force. We have PFP (pitcher's fielding practice) and work a lot on those situations."
The Stevenson defense has been solid this season - and particularly stellar in the playoffs. Against Mundelein, the Patriots turned three crucial double plays as the Mustangs were threatening, including in the bottom of that seventh with one out and the bases loaded.
"Those double plays were huge for us," said Nusinow, who improved to 6-0 after scattering 5 hits with 2 strikeouts and no walks. "Our defense has been amazing. I wasn't trying to overpower anything. My late-breaking curve was working well and I was just trying to pick my spots."
Stevenson got its first run in the top of the second when Robert McGaha started the inning by reaching on a fielder's choice. McGaha promptly stole second and ended up scoring on second baseman Jack Trotter's one-out double. McGaha had a great day at the plate, reaching base 4 times with a double and a run scored. He also swiped 2 bases.
Trotter then reached on an error in the top of the fourth and later scored on a single by shortstop Pat Loeffler for Stevenson's second and final run.
"It's too bad someone had to lose. Both pitchers pitched their butts off," said Mundelein coach Todd Parola, who team finished the season 28-10. "Three errors really hurt us today. But this is great, to have two teams from our conference make it to the sectional final. It just shows how strong the North Suburban Conference is."
Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Mundelein scored its lone run when center fielder Sam Osisek laced a double down the third-base line to lead off the inning. He then scampered to third on a wild pitch and ended up scoring on Nick Brune's single. But that was all the Mustangs could muster as Stevenson ended the inning with the second of those three double plays.
Mundelein starting ace Brendan Murphy (8-1) threw a terrific game in allowing just 5 hits to go along with 9 strikeouts before being relieved with one out in the sixth.