Willowbrook 4, Leyden 3

There was a rumble of thunder in the distance as Jonathan Weaver stepped to the plate with the tying runs on base and no outs in the seventh inning Tuesday.

It seemed to be the perfect backdrop for a Leyden baseball team that has thrived on late-inning comebacks and close wins the last two years to wrap up an outright West Suburban Gold title.

But Willowbrook senior right-hander Andy Bejlovec made sure there was no clinching outburst or celebration. Bejlovec got Weaver, Leyden's cleanup man, to ground into a double play before finishing off a 4-3 victory in Northlake.

"When we fell out of the conference championship we talked about getting ready for the playoffs," said Willowbrook coach Steve Gilliam. "We wanted to measure ourselves against them and we feel pretty good about what we accomplished in the series."

The side-arming Bejlovec (4-3) made sure Willowbrook (17-14, 10-8) took the last two of the three-game series. He scattered 6 hits, had 6 strikeouts and 4 walks and gave up 1 earned run.

"This game didn't mean much for us … and they had all the pressure on them," said Bejlovec, who threw 69 of his 117 pitches for strikes. "This gives us a lot of confidence. It's big for us and gives us a lot of steam rolling into the playoffs."

Leyden (19-6, 14-4), which clinched a share of its first West Suburban Gold title since 1990, now has to wait until today to find out if it claims the title outright. Downers Grove South (13-4 West Suburban Gold) and Hinsdale South have to finish a 6-6 suspended game.

Stranding 9 runners kept Leyden from celebrating without any help.

"We need to put the ball in play with people on base and we didn't do that," said Leyden coach Gary Wolf.

Leyden junior Ricky Zapata had 9 strikeouts in 5 innings and Tim Mackey had 3 strikeouts in 2 innings. But two big two-out hits -- a 2-run homer by Peter Bonner in the fourth and a 2-run triple by Chris Savas in the fifth -- put Willowbrook up 4-2.

"We haven't done that all season," Gilliam said. "That's what we need to do for the playoffs."

Bejlovec left runners at first and second with one out in the fifth. After an error and walk to start the seventh, he got Weaver to ground to Savas for a third-to-first double play.

Matt Soch kept Leyden alive by lining an RBI double to left center. Bejlovec finished it by getting Joe Natale on a one-hop comebacker.

"My last time out I was overthrowing, but this time we talked about taking a little off and letting my ball move," Bejlovec said. "My changeup was really good today."