Nisbet delivers as Arlington moves on
Before Thursday night, the longest baseball game Ryan Nisbet could recall playing - and he's been playing since the age of 4 - was 11 innings.
But the Buffalo Grove High School senior-to-be played a key role in ending the longest game of his career when he led off the bottom of the 14th inning with a triple to right-center field.
Three batters later, with the bases loaded after 2 intentional walks, Nisbet's high school teammate Andy Van Wazen singled up the middle, allowing Nisbet to score the winning run in Arlington Heights' dramatic 5-4 win over Evanston.
"They're both good players," said legendary Arlington Heights coach Lloyd Meyer of Nisbet and Van Wazen. "We hit some shots in the game. The kids had the never-say-die attitude."
The win keeps Arlington alive in the double-elimination Cook County tournament at Rec Park in Arlington Heights.
In other action Thursday, Glenview defeated Morton Grove 5-4, and Palatine led Elk Grove 3-2 in the bottom of fifth inning when the game was suspended due to lightning. That game will be resumed at 12:30 p.m. today.
If top-seeded Palatine (26-7) wins, it will play Arlington (26-11) at 7 p.m. today.
If Elk Grove (19-12) wins, the Blue Jays and Arlington will play at 3 p.m. today and Elk Grove will meet Glenview at 7 p.m.
The only longer game Meyer had been involved in was a 21-inning affair against Oak Lawn in 1976. Meyer said that game ended at 3 a.m.
Assistant coach Dennis Drolet played on that '76 Arlington team, which was a state champion and ended up second in the national tournament.
Van Wazen finished 3-for-7, as did teammate Matt Hendricks. Kurt Donner picked up the win; he tossed the final 52/3 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 run.
Starter Phil Kerber went the first 81/3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 3 runs.
"Both our pitchers threw well," Meyer said.
The bottom of the 14th started when Pat McGinn was robbed of a base hit on a nifty diving catch by the Evanston left fielder.
Then Nisbet stepped to the plate for his clutch triple.
"My main goal was to stay on top of the ball," Nisbet said. "Because I had popped up a few up earlier in the game. I had a rough start hitting this summer but I've gotten it back."
After intentional walks to Tom Kelly and Brendon King, Van Wazen came up with his walk-off single up the middle.
"I was just trying to make any kind of contact," Van Wazen said. "I knew if I could put the ball in play it meant we had a good chance to score the run."
Palatine 3, Elk Grove 2: Lightning forced the game to be called after 41/2 innings with Palatine leading 3-2.
Elk Grove went ahead 1-0 in the top of the second when Joe Dombek singled home Tyler Ford with two outs.
Ford had delivered a one-out double to left.
Palatine took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third, getting back-to-back RBI singles from Zach and Zenon Kolakowski.
Catcher Tyler Gregory started the inning with a doubled down the left field line.
The home team increased its lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth when Rick Stutzman was hit by a pitch, stole second and went to third on an error and scored on Eric Paulson's RBI groundout to shortstop Dombek.
Elk Grove got to within a run in the top of the fifth when Dombek led off with a walk.
After two popouts, Julian Sipiora singled to left center allowing Dombek to advance to third.
Tim Massat then delivered an RBI single to center scoring Dombek.
Jack Andersen pitched the first four innings for Palatine while Zach Demmon came in relief in the fifth.
"It will be a game-time decision as to who will start on the mound for us (today)," said Palatine assistant manager Steve Gagliano.
Tyler Ford threw the first four innings for Elk Grove.
"With four innings, he should be able to go again (today)," said Elk Grove Brian Mucha. "If he can't, we'll have other people ready."