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Baseball: Davila delivers as Warren edges Prospect

It wasn't a typical game for Ryan Davila.

Over the weekend, the lefty pitcher started Warren's regional championship game against Fremd. The Blue Devils won it, but Davila had to leave the game before he got through three full innings because he had given up 8 hits and 6 runs.

Davila, Warren's ace, hadn't seen numbers like that all season. Prior to that game, he had given up only 3 earned runs on the entire season.

"I really struggled (against Fremd)," Davila said. "I couldn't spot my pitches. I was leaving everything over the plate and they were just cranking me.

"It was a really big confidence booster for me (to pitch again) after the last game."

Davila was asked to replace starter Sam LaMotte and close out Wednesday's Stevenson sectional semifinal against Prospect, which he did. He pitched the final 1⅓ innings and retired all four batters to lead Warren, the top seed in the sectional, to a 2-1 win.

But that's not the only way Davila atoned for what he considered to be an extremely subpar effort against Fremd in the regional final. Against Prospect, Davila also provided all of Warren's offense.

In the fourth inning, Davila blasted a 2-run homer over the left field fence.

"I knew (Prospect pitcher Ben Courtney) was throwing a lot of fastballs up and my first at-bat I just missed (hitting the ball over the fence in right field)," Davila said of his second home run of the season. "I knew he was going to give me something up and away and I just went with it and I just carried it out.

"That got us really fired up. We didn't get much (offense) to that point. That really got us going."

Warren (28-10) now advances to Saturday's sectional championship game (11 a.m.) and will face the winner of Thursday's semifinal between Mundelein and Lake Forest (4:30 p.m.).

"It's just crazy…the further you move on, you've just got to play and survive," Warren coach Clint Smothers said, referring to the fact that his team's last two wins have been 1-run games (the Blue Devils beat Fremd in the regional final, 11-10).

"Their pitcher (Courtney) kept us off balance and they made some great plays out there. That's a really well-coached (Prospect) team."

Courtney (7-3 on the mound) knew that his pitch to Davila was going to be crushed the second it left his hands.

"That was brutal," Courtney said. "The pitch was up and out, (Davila) went with it. Hats off, that was a really good hit. I felt it in the pit of my stomach on that one. I knew it (was gone) right away."

Prospect (21-12) had an early lead on Warren.

Grant Zellmer opened the second inning with a double, and then sophomore Ryan Howe knocked him in with a single.

Howe is one of several underclassmen who played key roles for Prospect this season. The Knights had just three seniors in the starting lineup on most days.

"We did everything we could," Prospect coach Ross Giusti said. "Our kids left it on the field. We're a young team, this is a great experience for them being out here in games like this.

"It's all confidence. You want your younger kids to play in big games and hopefully that builds confidence for down the road. Hopefully if we're in this situation next year, we can get to the next round."

  Warren's Ryan Davila (54) is is mobbed by teammates after his 2-run-homer during the Blue Devils' 2-1 win over Prospect in the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Christian Cuban, left, hugs Tanner Dyer after the Blue Devils' 2-1 win over Prospect in the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Ryan Davila, right, gets a hug from catcher Ricky Bergstrom during the Blue Devils' 2-1 win over Prospect in the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Prospect's Brendan O'Brien makes a diving catch in right field against Warren during the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Prospect's Brendan O'Brien makes a diving catch on a foul ball during the Class 4A baseball sectional semifinal game against Warren on Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Prospect's Grant Zellmer fields a line shot during the Class 4A sectional semifinal game against Warren on Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Prospect's Grant Whitebloom connects with the ball during the Class 4A baseball sectional semifinal against Warren on Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Matt Burch fires to first base during the Blue Devils' 2-1 win over Prospect in the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren and Prospect in the Class 4A baseball sectional semifinal game Wednesday at Stevenson High School. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Matt Temaner, right, tags Prospect's Ryan Howe on his way to second during the Blue Devils' 2-1 win in the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Prospect's Ben Courtney delivers against Warren during the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Sam LaMotte pitches against Prospect during the Class 4A baseball sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Prospect's Ryan Molini, left, is safe at second as Warren's Matt Temaner tries to control an errant throw during the Class 4A baseball sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Prospect's Ryan Howe makes a play on a groundball during the Class 4A baseball sectional semifinal game against Warren on Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Matt Burch makes an off-balance throw to first during Blue Devils' 2-1 win over Prospect in the Class 4A baseball sectional semifinals Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Matt Temaner, left, jumps to make the catch as Prospect's Brendan O'Brien is safe at second during the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Prospect's Ryan Molini cheers after getting out of an inning during the Class 4A sectional semifinal game against Warren on Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
  Warren's Tanner Dyer, left, and Lucas Schmidt collide going for a flyball during the Blue Devils' 2-1 win over Prospect in the Class 4A sectional semifinal Wednesday at Stevenson. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
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