Neuqua Valley rests easy after topping Providence

By winning Monday morning, Neuqua Valley's baseball team was able to take the afternoon off.

The Wildcats definitely earned it.

Opening play in the Elite Eight of the IHSBCA Phil Lawler Summer Classic, Neuqua Valley advanced in the winner's bracket with a 3-2 win over Providence at Lisle's Benedictine University.

The Wildcats (30-3) will play Lake Zurich in a 10 a.m. showdown today at North Central College, with the winner moving on to Wednesday's state semifinals. The loser of this morning's game will play a must-win game at 12:30 p.m. to avoid being knocked out in the double-elimination format.

After losing to the Wildcats, Providence had to play St. Laurence on Monday afternoon. The Celtics were eliminated with a 3-2 loss.

"It was an important game because we wiped out one of the big seeds," Neuqua Valley shortstop Mike Bogar said of tagging Providence with a key loss. "It's huge to be able to have the rest and come out here tomorrow morning and win early."

Neuqua Valley starting pitcher Kevin Hodgman fired a complete-game 5-hitter, holding down the Celtics (11-8) as the Wildcats managed only 4 hits. They scored all their runs in the first two innings and leaned on their senior righty.

"I really wanted to throw strikes and come out here and beat a good team," said Hodgman, who struck out four, walked one and hit a batter. "We got lucky only getting 4 hits and getting a win out of this. We've just been playing good baseball and we've been fortunate to get a couple of wins."

Providence took a 1-0 lead on Dan Potempa's first-inning sacrifice fly, an unearned run, but Bogar tied it in the bottom of the frame with a two-out RBI single.

Neuqua Valley opened a 3-1 lead in the second inning when Danny Kolzow drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Andrew Skowronski scored on a wild pitch. Nick Gould's RBI single in the top of the fourth narrowed Providence's deficit to 3-2.

Twice Hodgman allowed the tying run to reach second base, but he escaped unscathed in the sixth and seventh innings to push the Wildcats within a win of the state semifinals.

"If you throw strikes and make plays, it seems to keep you in the game," said Neuqua Valley coach Robin Renner, whose program is making its first appearance in the summer Elite Eight. "That's pretty much what it was."