Mantucca, Naperville C. tune up for postseason

This is just how Naperville Central's baseball team wants to enter the playoffs.

Strong on the mound, sound in the field and confidently aggressive on offense, the host Redhawks ended the regular season with Monday's 3-1 win over Downers Grove North.

Naperville Central (20-11), which opens play in the Class 4A Neuqua Valley regional Thursday against Naperville North, scored all its runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Sophomore starting pitcher Marc Mantucca (5-3) pitched 5 innings for the win and Andy Pucher earned the save with 2 scoreless innings of relief.

"It was all about the pitching and defense," said Mantucca, who allowed 3 hits. "Our hitting has kind of been on and off, but our pitching has been consistent and our defense has been there most of the time. We made a lot of plays."

The first four batters reached base for the Redhawks in the fourth inning, although Trojans catcher A.J. DeMarco picked off a runner at second base.

Sean Garbarino singled home a run and then Anthony Lopez laid down a squeeze bunt that scored Matt Soria. Garbarino tallied the final run on a delayed first-and-third double steal.

"This is the way we've won all year," said Redhawks coach Bill Seiple. "When we're good we pitch, defend, we run around the bases, we put the ball in play. That was kind of our formula."

Downers North (21-11) notched its run in the fifth inning after a leadoff single by John Delaplane, who stole second base. An error allowed the unearned run to narrow the gap to 3-1.

Only three other runners made it to second base for the Trojans, who were sent down in order by Pucher in the seventh inning to end the game.

Pat Kaminska had a pair of hits for Naperville Central. Sean Flanagan doubled to lead off the fourth inning for Downers North, but he was stranded at third base.

Naperville Central nearly added to its lead in the fifth inning, but the Redhawks had a runner thrown out at the plate and then hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.

"We had the little scuffle in the fourth inning when they executed and did a nice job," said Trojans coach Chad Isaacson. "That was the ballgame. We didn't execute in certain situations and they did."