Mundelein walks away a winner
After a couple of hundred-plus pitches - which yielded 19 hits, including a dramatic grand slam, and 12 walks - and nearly three hours of baseball, the Class 4A regional opener between Hersey and Mundelein was decided by an umpire's call.
A bags-loaded balk.
"I've never seen that one before," Mundelein catcher Matt Risdon said after he and his teammates won 8-7 on a walk-off balk with one out in the bottom of the seventh at Lake Zurich on Thursday, earning Mundelein (25-8) a berth in Saturday's 11 a.m. regional final against the winner of Friday's semifinal between Lake Zurich and Rolling Meadows.
Those who stuck around until the end probably couldn't believe what they saw.
Trailing 5-0 against Mundelein ace Jay Mueller, Hersey (18-19) erupted for 7 runs in the top of the sixth. The Huskies' first five batters reached against Mueller, who was coasting with a 4-hitter through five. The senior left with the bases loaded and leading 5-2.
"With Jay on the mound and with that 5-0 lead," Risdon said, "I thought we had it."
They didn't.
Mustangs sophomore lefty Dante Martinez retired the first two hitters he faced, but then walked Joe Koziol to force in a run and make it 5-3.
That brought up leadoff-batter Kevin Polinski, who drilled a pitch over the center-field fence for a grand slam.
"Our Achilles' heel all year has been our inconsistent pitching," Hersey coach Bob Huber said. "You would think when you get 7 (runs) like that you'd be able to go out and shut them down."
Mundelein knocked out Hersey starter Steve Danielak in the sixth, pulling within 7-6 on Jack Cunnion's RBI fielder's choice off reliever Koziol and tying it when Mueller coaxed a two-out bases-loaded walk off Ryan Busse.
Colin Franklin worked a scoreless top of the seventh for Mundelein. Then in the bottom of the inning, with one out, Risdon doubled off the left-field fence, missing his first homer of the season by inches.
After Anthony Cancelli walked, Huber replaced Busse with fellow lefty Sal Locascio, who allowed a sharp single to Kevin Barber to load the bases.
With a 1-2 count on Franklin, courtesy runner Blair Metzger took a lead off third and tried to bait Locascio.
When Locascio stepped off the rubber, the umpire ruled a balk and Mundelein celebrated at home plate.
"You got to step off first and then you (can) break your hands," Huber explained. "(The umpire) said he broke his hands WHILE he was stepping off."
"There was no question that he balked," Mundelein coach Todd Parola said. "We'd been doing that all game at third - just taking a couple of hard steps and stopping. The third baseman yelled, 'Step off,' and fortunately we got the balk."
Mundelein pounded out 11 hits, including solo homers by Cancelli and Colton Tortorello. Franklin, Cunnion (2 RBI), Risdon and Cancelli each had 2 hits. Mueller helped his own cause in the first with an RBI double.
"I just feel good for Jay, because Jay hasn't had a bad inning all year long like that (sixth)," Parola said. "I don't think he's given up more than 2 runs in an inning all year. He was moving around, cruising pretty easily and then the wheels came off."
Hersey got 2 hits apiece from Chris James (2 doubles), Jake Knauss (2-run single) and Chris Polinski.
"Credit the kids," Huber said of his team's comeback. "They didn't get down. They scored 7 runs off a great pitcher and a great team. It should have been enough to do the trick, but it wasn't our day."