St. Charles N. survives scare from Conant

Most baserunners are trained to prepare for a pitch in the dirt that might bounce away and allow them to advance. But when Conant pitcher Nick Blaha threw one that sailed over his catcher’s head, St. Charles North’s Adam Delisi was prepared.

Delisi ended up being the deciding run after he scored on the wild pitch in the sixth inning of the Class 4A York regional semifinal game. St. Charles North’s 4-3 victory puts the No. 3 seeded North Stars in the regional championship game against the winner of tomorrow’s game between York and Schaumburg.

St. Charles North acting manager Jim Richardson, who was stepping in for Todd Genke as he recovers from surgery, was glad Delisi was ready to go.

“To have it get over the catcher’s head like that, it was definitely a heads-up play, but you’ve got to be ready for anything,” Richardson said. “It’s unfortunate to have the go-ahead run score like that, but that’s baseball.”

No. 15 Conant almost tied the game up in the top of the seventh, but a relay throw from the outfield allowed the Stars to make the final out at home plate.

The win came after the Stars surrendered an earlier three-run lead. Richardson said the team’s ability to stay in games has been present all season.

“It’s kind of the makeup of the team,” he said. “They never give up. We really try to stress keeping everybody in the game.”

St. Charles pitcher Carl Formento picked up the win, giving up seven hits and striking out seven over six innings. He credited his defense and the spirit of the players on the bench for keeping the team in the game.

“We always try to get as loud as we can, because that motivates and pumps up our batters,” Formento said. “I’d say our bench was definitely key, and guys coming up and making good plays.

For Conant, the loss was a bittersweet ending to a season in which the Cougars exceeded expectations. Manager Jerry Song said he left the team with a positive message after the game.

“I said, ‘We’re young. Stay positive,’” Song said. “I gave the seniors credit for a great year. For a team that was supposed to finish last and it finished .500, it’s a pretty good accomplishment for us. For the freshmen, sophomores and juniors, it’s something to build on.”

Song also had high praise for starting pitcher Nick Blaha, who struck out 10 North Stars and hit a triple that became the game-tying run.

“From the beginning of the year, he’s just been pounding the strike zone, getting guys out,” Song said. “He got frustrated with a couple errors, but he’s just a workhorse.”

York and Schaumburg will play at 4:30 Thursday, and the regional final will take place at 10 p.m. Saturday.