Little-used reserve Leisten puts Cary-Grove in title game
Cary-Grove baseball coach Don Sutherland had already used 16 players by the time Thursday's wild Class 4A Larkin sectional semifinal against South Elgin reached the 10th inning.
With two outs and the bases loaded in a 9-9 game, Sutherland let rarely-used reserve Danny Leisten hit against Storm reliever Drew Buddle. Leisten, who hadn't batted in a varsity game since the Trojans' season opener at Ottawa on March 20, did what he had to do by putting the ball in play.
Leisten hit a sinking flare off his fists to the right side of the infield. The ball short-hopped the South Elgin second baseman and skipped away. The fielder recovered and threw to first, but it was too late to nail the streaking Leisten, who was called safe as the winning run crossed the plate in a memorable 10-9 comeback win by the Trojans.
"I was just thinking I had to stay patient and drive it to the right side because I haven't seen a lot of live pitching in a while," Leisten said. "I just had to focus and get it down to the right side."
"That was a tough play their second baseman had to make," Sutherland said. "Danny's fast and puts the pressure on that way, so you use what you've got."
South Elgin coach Jim Kating described the decisive play thusly: "We jammed (Leisten), he hit it, it hit the dirt, it short hopped, it had a crazy spin, he knocked it down, (went) for it, bang-bang play at first, ballgame.
"Effort? I can't ask for anything more. Everyone was busting their butts and trying to do their best. We just fell short."
The win advances Cary-Grove (25-12) to the sectional title game against Fox Valley Conference rival Huntley (27-9) on Saturday at 10 a.m. The teams split two regular-season games and shared the title in the Valley Division of the FVC. Cary-Grove eliminated Huntley in a sectional semifinal last season.
South Elgin (20-15) commanded the sectional semifinal early on behind starting pitcher Sam Jordt, who didn't allow a single until the fourth inning. The Storm scored 2 runs in the third inning, keyed by Robbie Green's triple, and they added 2 runs in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead, highlighted by Nathan Garris' RBI single.
South Elgin scored 2 runs apiece in the fifth and sixth innings to build leads of 6-1 and 8-3, but the Trojans tried to stay positive.
"In the dugout, even when it was 8-3, we never got down," Chandler said. "Playoff baseball is a whole new beast when it comes to coming back. You're never ahead enough and you're never out of a game."
The Trojans roared back to tie the score at 8-8 with a 5-run sixth against reliever Kenny Lowden. Steve Hapanovich contributed a 2-run single and Chandler tied the game with a two-out, 2-run liner on a 3-2 offering from Buddle, who had relieved Lowden one out earlier. The line drive glanced off the diving second baseman's glove for a hit, giving the Trojans new life.
The score remained tied until the ninth inning, when South Elgin grabbed a 9-8 lead on a shallow sacrifice fly to right field by Dan Heine. Menken, who had doubled, was called safe on a close play at the plate.
However, the never-say-die Trojans knotted the game in the bottom of the inning with a two-out rally. Nick Richter was hit by a Buddle pitch and pinch runner Matt Efflandt came around to score on Tyler Lau's double to right-center field.
The Trojans worked more two-out magic to win the game. Chandler drew a two-out walk and Stu Gaulke was hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch advanced the runners, Michael Vilardo was walked intentionally to load the bases, setting the stage for Leisten's at-bat.
"That's just one of those things where I have to buckle down and focus and let my defense make a play, but it just didn't happen," Buddle said. "It's tough to go out this way with a loss. We had a lead (in the ninth) and I blew that one. It's tough to go out this way because we all tried so hard this year."
The Storm finished with a school record of 20 wins and secured the fourth-year program's first regional title.
"They're devastated right now," Kating said of his seniors, "but what an accomplishment how far we've come."