Jordan delivers as Carmel tips Libertyville
Derek Jordan had struck out three times in a row when he stepped to the plate Saturday in the Class 4A regional championship game at Libertyville.
The bases were loaded and the winning run stood on third.
Jordan pushed the count to 2-1 and then delivered the biggest hit of the 3-hour game: a single to left field, to cap a miraculous Carmel comeback in the bottom of the seventh for the Corsairs' 9-8 victory over host Libertyville.
"It was an interesting day, to say the least," said Jordan, the right fielder, who singled in the first inning, then struck out in the third, fifth and yet again as the leadoff batter in the seventh.
"I basically went up with the mindset that I couldn't do any worse than I had been (doing). I just had to find a pitch that was in the strike zone. The previous at-bats, I hadn't been swinging at strikes; that was my real problem.
"I did what I had to do in that situation. To beat Libertyville in a (regional) championship (game) is just huge."
The Corsairs (27-8) next play Thursday in the Barrington sectional semifinals.
Libertyville finishes 24-12.
"Baseball is a really funny game, a crazy game," said Carmel coach Joe May, whose team trailed 8-4 going into its last at-bat. "In the fifth, we had two men on (base) and in the sixth (inning), we had the bases loaded. And both times we had our two leading home run hitters (batting, and) we were hoping they may be able to tie the game with the long run. But it didn't work out. Then we get some garbage runs in the last inning.
"I'm awe-struck. I was numbed, absolutely numbed. The kids went nuts (after the game-winning hit). I guess I have to keep reserved because I'm the coach, but I wanted to join in the festivities.
"This has to be the most exciting game of the year for us, even more than an earlier win over St. Rita."
The Wildcats had two outs in the seventh and led 8-5 before the roof caved on the host school.
Carmel' Nick Battalini had an RBI single and scored in the seventh. Libertyville's Davis Ogilvie, a junior, also walked two and hit two in the fatal seventh.
"If you were to tell me that (Carmel) was going to score 5 (runs) in one inning, I'd have bet everything I had, including the keys to my truck, and it's a nice one," said Libertyville coach Jim Schurr. "On the surface, it looks like I made a real bad decision to keep Davis in as long as I did. But I don't know that I wouldn't have done it again. That's just the belief I have in him and where I thought he was."
Ogilvie (1-4) came on in the second inning to record the final out, replacing starter Joey Eichmann, who was touched for 3 runs in the first, including a 2-run home run to left field on a 2-2 pitch by cleanup hitter Paul Poirier.
Poirier also earned the win after replacing starter Jimmy Spagna in the fifth.
"This was so exciting, the most exciting game of the year," Spagna said. "I can't even put it into words. Everyone stepped up. Everyone came through."
Libertyville tied the game in the second, highlighted by a 2-run opposite-field double to left by Nick Coutre, who was making his first start in right field after being called up from the sophomore team.
The Wildcats scored 3 again in the fifth inning, despite only 1 hit in the frame, and Libertyville led 7-3 after five.
"This was unbelievable," said Carmel's Chris Divarco, his forearm iced after the game after being hit by a pitch in the seven that pushed home the game-tying run. "To come back from an 8-4 deficit, wow, everyone is just really positive. We have a lot of momentum. Derek came through. He did an awesome job."