Saints, Cadets both hoping to feel super on Saturday
This space was going to be used for preview stories about St. Charles East and Marmion playing for Class 4A and Class 3A baseball sectional championships Saturday.
Then I realized trying to predict anything this week is a pretty futile exercise.
After all, in the last two days we watched a 34-4 St. Charles North team lose Wednesday and then a 32-2 Burlington Central team get knocked out Thursday. That's 66 wins these Cadets and Saints have sent home.
Not to mention the way the two teams went out, the North Stars at the hand of their cross-town rival St. Charles East, and Burlington to the 6-foot-6 right hand of Mark Peters, which hauled in the would-be game-tying home run for the final out of Marmion's 7-6 stunner.
It's nothing new to say this, but there is no IHSA tournament that yields upsets like this. Certainly not basketball and football where the favorites are much more likely to advance than baseball and softball.
So you tell me what will happen today when Marmion (22-11) battles DeKalb (24-10) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday for a sectional title while 27-11 St. Charles East does the same on its home field against 28-9 Wheaton North.
Because I sure don't know. I just know it's going to be fun.
"It's great for these kids," said Saints coach Dave Haskins after Wednesday's 12-3 win over St. Charles North. "An opportunity to play in another big park (Monday at supersectionals) if we can stay within ourselves playing at home. We've got a great chance. We're playing good baseball this year."
The Saints are bidding for their fourth sectional title, first since they made it to state in 2004.
Marmion, meanwhile, has never won a sectional but is playing for a sectional championship for the second time in three years.
While Thursday's win might have come specular fashion, it also was the latest in a strong season-long push by the Cadets after a 2-5 start.
Marmion rebounded from that to win the Suburban Christian Blue with a 12-4 conference record.
The Cadets have continued getting better in the postseason with three more wins.
"It's almost like we're getting better each game since the seventh, eighth game of the year," Marmion coach Dave Rakow said. "We're getting better, becoming more confident with each game. Hopefully it continues."
It doesn't hurt that confidence to beat Burlington Central, a powerhouse that entered Thursday averaging over 10 runs a game.
"These guys know they can play with the best in state after playing a team like Burlington," Rakow said. "They don't get much better than that team over there. The fact we could hang with them, the fact we could beat them I hope is a building block for these guys. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going for a few more games."
Rakow said one key has been the Cadets' approach at the plate. While Burlington seemed to swing for the long ball all game Thursday - grounding out just twice - Marmion has taken the opposite tactic.
"We preached going into playoffs stay away from flyouts, strikeouts, put the ball on the ground and good things will happen," Rakow said.
That might explain just how bad the opponents' defense has been the past two games. Sure, Marmion has caught a break that Oswego and Burlington Central combined for 9 errors. But the Cadets are putting the pressure on the defense with their approach, and that pressure only becomes more magnified when it's one loss and your are out this time of year.
After making the game-saving catch Thursday, Peters will take his turn on the mound Saturday against a DeKalb team that shared the Western Sun Conference title this year with Batavia and Kaneland. The Barbs threw their ace Ben Dallesasse in Wednesday's sectional semifinal win over Sycamore. Marmion and DeKalb did not play this season.
Thursday's winning pitcher Tim Tarter said he's noticed an entire new attitude.
"Playoffs in general has been a whole different atmosphere," Tarter said. "First game with Sandwich everyone was up, all hyped up. We've been playing good since. Everyone is coming alive to these games and wanting to win."
The same goes in St. Charles where first-year coach Haskins has brought the winning formula he used to win the 2008 state championship at Prairie Ridge. Aggressive, small-ball offense with strong pitching and defense.
After ace Wes Benjamin picked up the win in the first three postseason games, Haskins said he'll turn to Robert Wendt, Tommy Konrad, Tommy Laudado and Mike Upton against the Falcons.
Wheaton North also threw its ace Thursday to beat Lake Park.
Now 13-2, Benjamin is one win away from Jim Caine's school record.
"He would really have to pull my leg for him to get some innings (Saturday)," Haskins said. "He's having an incredible high school career. He's not about himself. He's about winning for the team. He's got a great future. The sky is the limit for him."
It's going to be tempting for Haskins not to use Benjamin late in the game if it's tight. If the Saints could jump to an early lead it would be extra beneficial to then have a rested Benjamin ready for Monday's supersectional in Rockford.
"I'm pretty much done now," Benjamin said after his third win in 7 days Wednesday. "It felt good to empty it a little. Overall I feel pretty good. Who knows I might be able to go Saturday again. We'll see. I'd love to."
The Saints should be in good shape if they hit the ball like they did against St. Charles North. Ryan O'Dell and Ryan Sotern combined for 7 of the team's 16 hits.
"We had great approaches," O'Dell said. "Everything was locked in. We've been playing really good baseball the whole season and I think it really showed (Wednesday)."
jlemon@dailyherald.com