Baseball: Kelso, Willowbrook haul in win against Conant
Jon Kelso has made plenty of good catches as a wide receiver on the gridiron.
On Wednesday the Willowbrook senior center fielder showed he could do it on the baseball diamond as well.
Making a diving catch with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth, Kelso preserved a 2-run lead in the Warriors' 5-1 victory over Conant in the Class 4A Lake Park sectional semifinal at Boomers Stadium in Schaumburg.
"You have to be anticipating the play coming your way," Kelso said. "I just did the best I could and made a play for the team."
Kelso also got it done at the plate, driving in the first run of the game with a double off the left-center wall in the first inning. He later came around to score on a wild pitch; Willowbrook (26-8) also added a third run on an infield single by starting pitcher Alec Michaelson.
Michaelson worked five innings on the mound, allowing a single run in the top of the third. He yielded just one hit but was in and out of trouble after walking five and hitting three batters. The senior righty fanned five.
Sophomore Jack Nilles entered in relief with a winner on in the sixth and left the potential tying runs on first and third. The Warriors added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom half of the innings on an infield hit by John Taylor and another wild pitch.
"We've talked about it all the time," Willowbrook coach Vic Wisner said. "Give yourself opportunities in games and that's what we've done. Their kid really settled down and threw the ball well, but adding those runs at the end helps. That is what we are about, getting those opportunities and coming through. The situation wasn't too big for us, you can tell that by how they came out in the first inning."
Indeed Conant starting pitcher Mason Sykes settled down after the first, fanning 12 in the game. But the visitors just couldn't get the big hit when needed. Sykes did have a pair of doubles and drove in the lone run on a sacrifice fly.
"I think we left 14 runners on base," said Conant coach Derek Fivelson, whose team had won six in a row coming in and finished with a 16-19 mark. "We hit the ball hard with two outs, but give them credit, they made great plays with two outs. I'm proud of the way we competed.
"We've been the underdog based on our seed, but we weren't playing as an 18 seed (coming into the playoffs). Our pitching got us far in the end. This was a great experience for this group; 14 of the 20 are juniors."
Third-seeded Willowbrook now advances to play fourth-seed South Elgin at 11 a.m. Saturday, looking to capture its first sectional championship since 1973.
"This goes back to the summer when we won 22 games in a row," Wisner said. "I saw the makings of this team. And then I watched the football team get to the quarters and I watched the basketball team win conference. That has played a part. It's been a lot of fun."