Fremd's Terry very versatile

Clint Terry's 2-run homer in the first inning will go down as the game-winning hit in Fremd's 4-1 defeat of Prospect on Thursday.

But it was the senior's performance on the mound that won the game.

The UIC-bound left-hander threw a complete game, surrendering just 1 run on 3 hits, and he struck out six as the ninth-seeded Vikings (20-13) defeated the eighth-seeded Knights (20-12) in the semifinals of the Class 4A Stevenson regional.

The Vikings' victory means a rematch against top-seed Stevenson in the regional final at 10 a.m. Saturday in Lincolnshire. The Patriots eliminated the Vikings last season at the same stage of the tourney.

Terry (9-4) said his longball in the top of the first helped him mentally on the mound.

"The home run gave me a lot of confidence," he said. "I was able to go out there and throw strikes."

Terry's early heroics fit right into the plan of Vikings coach Chris Piggott.

"We talked about jumping on them early," Piggott said. "We knew with Clint on the mound we'd have a good chance to win."

The Knights got a run back in the bottom of the third when left fielder Steve Dazzo scored on a wild pitch, cutting the Vikings' lead to 2-1. The junior reached base on a walk and stole second before moving up two bases on back-to-back wild pitches.

The Vikings' Kurt Kaufman doubled to the gap in left-center to lead off the top of the fifth, but he came up limping after making the turn past first.

Kaufman was replaced by pinch runner Mike Risher, who stole a page from the Prospect playbook and scored on a wild pitch.

The Knights threatened in the sixth when third baseman John Coen (2-for-3) led off with a single. The senior ended up at third after another wild pitch and a flyball to right, but Terry retired the side on a popup behind the plate.

"When it comes down to it, good pitching beats good hitting," said Knights coach Ross Giusti. "I have nothing but compliments for Clint Terry. I think he's an outstanding player, and we knew coming in that we had a tough task."

Knights starter Miles Osei (3-2) was chased after Matt Koeppen's no-out, RBI single gave Fremd a 4-1 lead in the top of the seventh. Right-hander Jack Landwehr finished the game for the Knights.

Although the Patriots knocked Fremd out of the postseason 4-3 in 8 innings last year, Piggott said his team wouldn't worry about the past.

"We're not going to talk about revenge," he said. "We're just going to talk about playing hard."