Baseball: DeMarco closes door on St. Charles North's semifinal win
Sophomore closer Nick DeMarco looked like a calm, cool veteran as he finished off the biggest win in St. Charles North baseball history Friday.
The North Stars defeated St. Rita 6-4 in a Class 4A state semifinal in Joliet, thanks in large part to the Notre Dame recruit's improbable sixth-inning escape.
St. Charles North (29-10) led 5-4, but Matt Callahan and Bobby Atkinson singled against reliever Johnny Lambert to open the sixth for St. Rita (34-7).
Enter DeMarco, 6-for-6 in save opportunities this season.
St. Rita No. 8 hitter Matt Dunleavy laid down a bunt, but St. Charles North defended it effectively with the wheel play. Freshman third baseman Jayden Lobliner - who entered the game in a double switch when DeMarco relieved Lambert - fielded the bunt and threw to third for the force out.
Next batter Chris McDevitt then laced a line drive, but it was right at first baseman Kyler Brown. The junior made the catch and raced to the bag for the inning-ending double play.
"That was a game-changer there because if that ball gets through, it's a whole other game," DeMarco said.
The Mustangs went in order in the seventh. DeMarco induced a groundball to third base and a flyball to right field from Jalen Greer, a fifth-round draft choice of the Oakland Athletics, who went 0-for-3.
DeMarco then fell behind in the count 3-0 before striking out Gavin Mottl for the final out.
"He's a big-game player," St. Charles North coach Todd Genke said of DeMarco, who also played running back in the Class 7A state title game last fall. "That's why we want him in there in those situations. He came through for us the way he has all season."
St. Charles North advances to the state championship baseball game for the first time. The North Stars will play Edwardsville (36-5) Saturday at approximately 5 p.m.
"It's probably the best feeling I've had in 18 years of living," senior pitcher John Hamer said.
Hamer was one of five hurlers used by Genke, who had his entire staff available. Sophomore Andrew Jimenez started and was relieved after allowing 2 runs in 1⅓ innings. Sophomore Zach Kempe pitched a scoreless inning, Hamer allowed 1 run in 1⅔ innings, and Lambert pitched an inning and gave up a run. The IHSA official scorer awarded the win to DeMarco.
Combined, North pitchers walked 4 and hit 4 batters but they limited the Mustangs to 4 hits and struck out seven.
"I tell them every day we don't have a number one pitcher," Genke said. "Whoever is on the mound at that point is our number one. And these guys believe in it. That's a big reason why we're sitting here right now."
St. Charles North trailed 2-0 in the fourth inning but halved the lead when a safety squeeze bunt by Alex Najera scored a sliding Ryan Thiesse.
Egon Hein then provided the big hit with the bases loaded. North's leading hitter drilled a single to left field off St. Rita starting pitcher Diego Koval (7-2) that scored Najera and Kevin White to give the North Stars a 3-2 lead.
St. Charles North added 2 runs in the fifth. DeMarco scored on a throwing error. Ryan Thiesse scored on a bloop single to left by Najera for a 5-2 lead.
St. Rita committed 3 errors that led to 2 unearned runs.
"Uncharacteristically we didn't play great defense today," St. Rita coach John Lee said. "We got to this point particularly by playing great defense. But today we didn't do that. That's baseball."
The Mustangs got those runs back in the bottom of the fifth but Lambert induced a popup to strand two.
The North Stars added a seventh inning insurance run on an infield single by Najera (2-for-2, 2 RBI).
Hein, DeMarco and Brown are among the multisport athletes who will compete in a second state-title game in one school year.
"It's crazy," Brown said. "It's awesome being part of it. We've been doubted for many years. To prove ourselves these last couple of months has been great."