Riverside-Brookfield 1, Wheaton Academy 0

No matter the outcome his baseball team accepted Wednesday afternoon in LaGrange, Wheaton Academy starting pitcher John Lace had one heck of a time.

So when Lace's Warriors walked off the field after an eight-inning, 1-0 loss to Riverside-Brookfield in the Class 3A Nazareth Academy sectional semifinal, the sophomore starter felt no regrets.

"Eight innings, 1-0 -- this was exciting," a smiling Lace said. "I love this. This was probably the best game of my life so far."

For six innings Lace stood locked in a pitchers' duel with Riverside-Brookfield starter Jon Kleinmeyer, with each pitcher giving his opponent little chance to score.

The game's first real scoring opportunity came in the bottom of the seventh, when Riverside-Brookfield (23-12) had runners on first and second with no outs.

On a missed sacrifice bunt attempt, Wheaton Academy catcher Dan Spiotta fired to third base, catching a stealing Billy Vandemerkt. Third baseman Josh Rak then quickly tossed the ball to the right side of the infield, catching a second Bulldogs runner for an uplifting double play.

As quickly as Wheaton Academy (16-14-1) enjoyed momentum in the bottom of the seventh inning, it left just as quickly in the bottom of the eighth.

A single and two intentional walks loaded the bases for Riverside-Brookfield third baseman John Hearlston, who sharply lined the game-winning single into left field.

"That's just the game of baseball," said Wheaton Academy coach Willie Bosque. "You've got to cash in (on opportunities), especially when you're playing a good team like R-B. Those guys are going to get after it.

"I always tell our guys, 'Good teams will always give you a chance to beat them, and you've got to take that opportunity every time you get it.' "

The Warriors placed a runner in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, yet came away empty each time.

"We had good pitching, good defense, but we just didn't get the timely hit when we needed it," Bosque said. "Those are the three key things you need to win big games."

With 13 juniors and two sophomores returning next season, Wheaton Academy hopes to be well-positioned for a similar postseason run in 2009. For now, though, Lace and company can feel proud of how far their 16 victories carried them.

"This is what I live for," Lace said. "I (didn't) have to be perfect. That's just the way God allowed the game to go, and I'm grateful for that."