Baseball: Gami shows off bat and arm in York’s sectional semifinal win over Glenbard West
In each of the past two years, York baseball has finished fourth in Class 4A. Thursday afternoon in a Willowbrook sectional semifinal, the Dukes showed they have potential of a higher state finished.
But first, they need to win a fourth consecutive sectional title, and they took a big step in notching a 10-0 victory in six innings over West Suburban Silver rival Glenbard West.
“We were able to get guys on, get stuff moving, and put together some good baseball,” said York coach River Pitlock.
York (24-11) scored four runs in the bottom of the second off Glenbard West starting pitcher Henry Johnson. Nick Allen had an one-out sacrifice fly, then with two outs, Drew Gami drove in two with a single, then – following a stolen base – came home on Marco Giorno’s single.
Glenbard West (18-19) got two runners aboard with one out in the top of the third against Dukes’ starter Jack Longeran. But Gami, playing center, came up with the game’s biggest play as he threw out Charlie Harvey trying to score on Eric Lowrie’s single.
When asked which play he thought was bigger, Gami didn’t hesitate.
“For me personally, I think it’s got to be throwing out a guy at home,” he said. “It was a huge momentum swing.”
“Drew has been a lockdown defender the last few years,” Pitlock said. “He makes good reads and has a strong arm. At the plate, he’s quick and knows what to do. He’s a real big asset for us.”
Glenbard West coach Andy Schultz also thought Gami’s play was huge.
“The kid made a good play,” he said. “We were aggressive, trying to get back in the game.
York added a run in the fourth on Giorno’s sacrifice fly, then pulled away over the final two innings.
The Dukes scored three in the fifth as Glenbard West pitcher Nick Pleasant’s throwing error on a sacrifice bunt from Austin Grzywa scored Evan Mendiola and Luke Pieczynski and allowed Grzywa to reach third. Then he scored on Ryan Lisowski’s single.
York secured the run-rule victory in the sixth on an one-out RBI double from Mason Shorter and a two-out RBI single by Allen.
Longeran tossed five shutout innings and gave up two hits while walking four.
“I already faced these guys in conference, so I just wanted to come out, throw strikes, and trust my defense,” he said. “I try to give my offense a chance to hit, and they came through for me today.”
“He’s been doing that since I had him as a sophomore,” Pitlock said. “Jack just throws a lot of strikes, he commands three pitches, and knows what to do with the baseball.”
For the Hilltoppers, who entered having won nine of their 11 previous games – including a regional title win over Glenbard East, it was a tough ending. But afterwards Schultz chose to focus on the season’s biggest positive.
“York played a good game,” Schultz said. “A lot of things could’ve gone better today, but I’m proud of my kids. These guys got to enjoy a lot of good memories together, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Meanwhile, York goes for its fourth consecutive sectional title Saturday against South Elgin, a 2-1 winner over Bartlett in the first semifinal.
“I haven’t seen much of (South Elgin),” Pitlock said. “I’m just excited to keep playing good baseball.”