Baseball: Libertyville rallies from 3 down, beats Maine South in extra innings for 2nd straight state title
Libertyville has been waiting all season for an opportunity to win its second consecutive Class 4A title.
The Wildcats had to wait just a little bit longer Saturday night at Slammers Stadium in Joliet.
Libertyville came from three runs back to tie and then scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to beat Maine South 7-6.
The Wildcats (31-10) have now won 14 playoff games in a row and became the first team since Edwardsville in 2022 and 2023 to repeat.
“We have so many guys that can hit and put pressure on teams, ” Libertyville coach Matt Thompson said. “And these guys just kept coming through. We never gave up. I am just really proud of the boys.”
Libertyville found themselves down 5-2 heading into the sixth inning. But the Wildcats rallied to tie the game in the sixth and Madden Cotts came on in relief to keep Maine South in check.
“Chase (Lockwood) was not available, so I knew I had to be ready,” Cotts said. “Once we got those two runs I just knew I had to throw strikes.”
Libertyville was able to take the lead in the top of the eighth when Jack Cenar reached when he struck out on a wild pitch and made it to first base safely.
“I swung at a bad pitch and I knew it was in the dirt,” Cotts said. “And you gotta run. I knew I could make it when I saw their catcher running back to to the screen.”
After a sacrifice bunt, Cotts followed with a beautiful bunt single, which also sent Cenar to third. He wasn’t there long, scoring on balk. Cotts would then score on Carson Holmes’ sharp single to left.
“I was just singing a song to myself to calm me,” said Holmes, who had struck out in three previous at-bats. “I wanted to get the ball in play so we could get another run.”
But Maine South also had worked hard to get to the title game and the Hawks weren’t ready to go home. With two outs, Maine South loaded the bases on a walk and two singles. Alex Vale was hit by a pitch to score a run. But Cotts struck out the final batter to preserve the win.
“Our guys stayed relaxed, so that was good,” Thompson said. “I think it was good that half the team was here last year. We are hoping to enjoy this one now and think about next year later.”
Maine South (26-16), which was making its first state appearance since 1966, scored single runs in each of the first three innings.
Luka Stojakovic got things started in the first. The senior, who is headed to Creighton in a few weeks, belted a pitch off the left field fence and ran his way to a triple. Courtesy runner Joaquin Fabragas then trotted home on Sean Sladky’s single.
In the second, Jack Fisher walked, Michael Forte singled and Evan Adamczewski walked to load the bases. Stojakovic drilled a pitch to deep right field that turned into a sacrifice fly.
Gavin Krischke, who came up with a big hit in Friday’s win over Mt. Carmel, had a one-out triple to deep center. He then scored on Braden Cremins’ fielder’s choice to make it 3-0.
“We just battled all the way here,” Cremins said. “We did all we could and left it all on the field.”
Libertyville doubled its way back into the game in the fifth.
After Cenar was hit by a pitch, Bode Rohrbach doubled over the left fielder’s head to score Cenar. Madden Cotts then followed with a double of his own to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Maine South got those runs right back.
Krischke walked, went to second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball. He easily scored as Cremins lined a single to left to make it 5-2.
But Libertyville refused to go away, scoring three runs to tie the game at 5-5 in the top of the sixth.
The Wildcats got leadoff singles from Braden Tolzien and Ryan Wilberding. A walk to Chase Lockwood loaded the bases and Tolzien would then score on a wild pitch. A sacrifice fly by Matthew Hara drove in one run and another scored on Cenar’s single.
Maine South coach Brian Lorenz, whose team earned just the second state trophy in school history, said he is proud of how his team competed.
“With the way we do things in Illinois, with one and done, it is incredibly hard to just to get to this point,” Lorenz said. “Obviously, it is an accomplishment and we are all disappointed. The first thing that comes to mind is how incredibly proud I am of this group. We knew we were never out of it and it was privilege to coach this team.”
Stojakovic, who had two hits and an RBI, said he going to miss playing with his team.
“I m going to miss showing up at the ballpark and being with the guys,” Stojakovic said. “Just going to practice, 8 a.m. tarp jobs. Whatever it is, I am going to miss it here.”