Driscoll credits a mustache

As it turns out, Driscoll's impressive postseason success so far this year has not been solely due to skill.

According to several Highlanders, the Driscoll baseball team has added a superstitious hairline to help them along the way.

"It's all in the mustaches," starting pitcher Corey Eisenmann said after shutting down Walther Lutheran in Driscoll's 11-1 sectional final victory Saturday.

Senior shortstop David Schwabe said the Highlanders considered growing beards but opted for the mustaches as more of an original approach.

"Everyone kind of does the beard. All hockey players do that, so we figured we'd do mustaches," Schwabe said. "That'd be a little funnier."

The Highlanders all wore smiles after dispelling the Broncos to earn the sectional crown on Driscoll's home field. The hosts racked up another 11 runs Saturday, giving Driscoll (24-8) a total of 42 runs in four postseason games.

Two fruitless innings to start the game had Highlanders coach Sean Bieterman slightly worried, but Driscoll's adjustments in its second time through the lineup laid those fears to rest.

Nursing a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth inning, junior third baseman Steve Schwabe lined a hard double to the left-center field gap, scoring 2 and giving Driscoll a bit of breathing room.

"The at-bat of the season is Steven Schwabe's double in the gap," Bieterman said. "He worked him for 10 pitches, really did a terrific job, took the ball down the line hooking foul, but that's just the at-bat of the season right there."

Schwabe had numerous lengthy at-bats earlier in the season yet didn't yield the results he wanted. Saturday's performance, though, made all the struggling obsolete.

"I've been waiting for something like this to happen for a while, so it's about time," a smiling Schwabe said. "Perfect hit, perfect game, that's the way to get the job done."

Driscoll held that 2-1 lead thanks in large part to Eisenmann, who escaped a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the bottom of the third, surrendering just a single run.

Schwabe's double loosened up the bats for the rest of the Highlanders, as Driscoll scored 1 run in the top of the fifth before earning 5 runs to ice the game in the top of the seventh.

"Giving us that (4-1) lead made a big difference, and let us go in a little more of a comfort zone and let us be more comfortable with our swings," Bieterman said.

Driscoll will take on Coal City at 2 p.m. Monday at Benedictine University in the supersectional.