Conant rises - and shines

Almost all of Conant's baseball players were nearly sleepless in Geneva for Saturday morning's Class 4A regional championship game.

But the post-prom revelry continued for the Cougars from a blast of shaving cream in the face of winning pitcher Derek Wojcik to an ice-water dousing for coach Jerry Song.

Wojcik and Walt Wijas combined on a 5-hitter and the fifth-seeded Cougars walked, ran and scrapped to a 6-0 victory over No. 4 Geneva.

"I didn't know how we were going to play but we got through it," said Wojcik, who went 4-plus innings and had 2 hits as the Cougars won their second regional title in three years.

"For two hours sleep we looked sharp today defensively," said senior catcher Mario Morrone, who had 2 hits and a key single in a 3-run fourth inning. "We hit the ball and put it in play.

"Any time you get two hours of sleep you're worried you're going to be flat."

Instead, it was a performance that typified a Conant (20-11) team that joined the 1999 team as the only 20-game winners in school history.

The Cougars also reached the sectional semifinals for just the second time in program history. They'll play at 4 p.m. Wednesday at St. Charles North against top-seeded Wheaton North (27-5), which overcame a 5-run deficit to beat Bartlett 6-5 in 8 innings at the St. Charles East regional.

"With the pitching they have they could make a nice little run," said Geneva coach Matt Hahn, whose young team finished 20-12. "That team was ready to play. They were enthusiastic and (after prom) that's tough."

Wojcik showed the toughness that would make him an ace or No. 2 starter on most teams. The senior right-hander allowed only 2 hits the first 4 innings.

"When I was in the bullpen with Joe (sophomore designated hitter and backup catcher Belmonte), he told me it was the best I've thrown all year," Wojcik said after the Cougars' seventh shutout.

"Derek is a legitimate No. 2 starter," Song said. "It was good to see. I told him we wanted 3 or 4 innings and we'd come in with Johnny (DiMatteo) or Walt."

After Wojcik gave up 2 singles to start the fifth, the Kentucky-bound Wijas came in for 3 innings of 1-hit relief with 6 strikeouts for his second save.

And the Cougars took full advantage of 9 walks, 2 hit batters and 5 stolen bases - 4 from junior Otto Linderman. Bobby Colucci drew the fourth second-inning walk from Geneva starter Alex Sroka for the first run.

Morrone's single to right on an 0-2 pitch helped load the bases in the fourth. Mitch Comstock had an RBI single on an 0-2 pitch, Wojcik drove in a run with a groundout and Belmonte had a sacrifice fly.

"Everyone did their thing," Morrone said. "Everyone hit and put it in play."

Belmonte was hit in the cheek by a pitch in the sixth. Song said Belmonte was a little dazed but he left the field under his own power.

Power-hitting Geneva first baseman Cory Hofstetter had to leave the game after two innings and one at-bat from a left hamstring strain suffered late in Wednesday's game.

Catcher Asa Bielenberg had 2 hits for Geneva, which left runners at first and third in the second and the bases loaded in the fifth.

"Getting to the regional championship and being this young," Hahn said of having only two seniors on the field at the end, "with this experience and having to watch the other team pick up a plaque on your field, hopefully it sits with them (for next year)."