Baseball: Crystal Lake South wins 4A state title
Crystal Lake South rode the hottest bat in high school baseball to a Class 4A state title on a hot Saturday in Joliet.
Junior Noah Tyrrell went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple and 5 RBI, and right-hander Andrew Engelking threw a 5-hitter with 8 strikeouts to lead the Gators past Edwardsville 8-3 at Joliet Slammers Stadium.
So how did Tyrrell, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound right-handed hitter who entered the weekend hitting a respectable .351 with no home runs and 16 RBI go 5-for-9 with 2 home runs, a triple and 9 RBI in two victories?
"I was just more relaxed, I feel like," said Tyrrell, who Gator fans serenaded with a postgame MVP chant. "At the beginning of the playoffs we were, at least I was, more nervous because of last year when Grant beat us in the regional semifinals. So I just wanted to be more relaxed, and being more relaxed just caused me to (get) more hits, I guess."
The state championship is the first for Crystal Lake South (36-5), which took fourth place in its only other state trip in Class AA in 1993. The state title is the school's second in a team sport. The boys golf team won the Class AA title in 1980-81.
"It's a huge accomplishment," said CL South coach Brian Bogda, the owner of a 227-109 record in 10 seasons. "It means a lot for our community and it means a lot to these boys, obviously.
"I think it says a lot about our conference (Fox Valley) as well. Our conference has been down here several years in a row with a team. To get this far and win the championship is something all our teams have wanted to do. I'm glad we were able to do it with this group of guys."
CL South's title marks the first time a public school has won the Class 4A championship since 2012, when Oak Park-River Forest defeated Lyons Township.
The Gators jumped to a lead against Edwardsville (34-8) in the top of the first inning. Griffin Bright led off with a clean single to left and catcher Ryan Parquette followed with a bunt that hugged the third-base line for a single.
Tyrrell stepped to the plate two outs later and launched an 0-1 curveball to the center field wall for a 2-run triple off Edwardsville starting pitcher Kade Burns (10-2). Tyrrell was going to be held at third base, but Bogda waved him home once the cutoff throw got away for an error. He scored without a throw to stake the Gators to a 3-0, first-inning lead for the second straight day.
The Tigers fought back with 2 runs in their half of the first against Engelking (9-0). Leadoff man Dylan Burris doubled and later scored on a wild pitch. They added an unearned run on a two-out single by Andrew Yancik.
However, Engelking settled down after the first inning. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound senior allowed only one more run in the fifth inning, a solo home run to right field by left-handed power hitter Drake Westcott. It was the 12th home run of the season for the 6-foot-3, 220-pound freshman phenom already committed to Louisville.
"After the first inning I kind of found it," Engelking said. "I got my off-speed over a little bit more. I seemed to struggle with it, but I kept my fastball right at the knees. I left one big mistake to that big lefty."
The Tigers were unable to take advantage of 2 CL South errors in the final two innings.
"Our offense kind of slowed down there after the first couple of innings and their pitcher started making better pitches," said Yancik, who will play next year at McKendree College. "He got the best of us today. They're a good team. They hit well, pitch well, play defense well. I have to give them a lot of credit."
The Gators moved to a 4-2 lead in the third inning on a single by Tyrrell that scored Brian Fuentes, who doubled down the left-field line with one out.
Crystal Lake South put on a fifth-inning power exhibition to break the game open. Bright (2-for-4) led off with a single and Parquette followed with a no-doubt-about it home run to left field to make it a 6-2 lead.
"Griffin was up before me and I noticed they went curveball, fastball," Parquette said of the Edwardsville pitch sequence. "The first pitch to me was a curveball so I was sitting on a fastball. I got it. I turned on it and drove it. It's a great feeling. My final game of high school and we won state and it was a home run."
CL South designated hitter Nick Wolski drew a one-out walk and Tyrrell struck again, crushing the first pitch of the at-bat for a 2-run home run for an 8-2 lead.
"He's definitely the MVP," Bogda said.
The Gators uncharacteristically committed 4 errors, but Engelking got help from his defense in the seventh when shortstop Kory Olsen and second baseman Scott Skwarek turned a 6-4-3 double play to draw within an out of the title.
Engelking took care of the last out himself. He struck out Westcott looking to end the game on a low, outside fastball. He threw his glove straight up in the air and caught Parquette, who rushed to the mound and jumped into the pitcher's arms to celebrate the biggest moment in Crystal Lake South sports history.
"I haven't accepted it yet," a smiling Engelking said after the medal ceremony. "I just keep looking down at (the medal). It just feels surreal."