Solid performance puts Huntley in Class 4A Final Four

LOVES PARK - Get 'em on, get 'em over and get 'em in. It has been the Huntley baseball team's mantra throughout the playoffs.

That fundamental approach to run scoring - along with errorless defense and solid performances from three pitchers - proved to be just enough to edge Wheaton North in a Class 4A supersectional Monday, 2-1.

The Red Raiders were held to 4 hits by Falcons starting pitcher Mike Coduto (8-2) but they found ways to scratch out single runs in the first and fifth innings and held off a burgeoning Falcons rally in the top of the seventh with runners at first and second with one out.

A Wheaton North baserunner was called for interference at second base on Huntley's double-play attempt, which ended the game.

Huntley (29-9) advances to the baseball state finals for the first time in school history. The Red Raiders will play St. Rita (34-6) in a semifinal at Silver Cross Field in Joliet on Friday at 5 p.m. St. Rita defeated Andrew at the Crestwood supersectional, 3-1.

"We're going to the show, we're going to the show," Huntley coach Andy Jakubowski repeated afterward as the significance of the victory began to sink in.

Wheaton North (29-10) saw its season come to an end despite a setting a new school record for victories in a single season.

Huntley is an improbable state qualifier. The Red Raiders graduated their top three pitchers from last year's team, which forged a record of 30-7-1 but lost in a sectional semifinal.

"Everybody thought that since we lost our starters from last year we wouldn't do as well, but we proved everybody wrong," said senior reliever Chris Klein, who earned the save by inducing the game-ending groundball.

"Our goal was to go further than last year and we're definitely doing that," said winning pitcher Jeremy Ahillen (9-1).

Huntley led 2-0 going to the seventh before Wheaton North made a late charge. Falcons catcher Ben Murrow opened the inning with a home run to left-center field off Ahillen, who relieved starter Jake Staab with one out in the third.

"I was just trying to get something going and I reacted, I guess," said Murrow, who collected 2 of Wheaton North's 7 hits. "(Ahillen) was one of the weirdest pitchers I've ever seen. He was throwing kind of weird. Just see it and hit it."

Reece Butler followed with a single to left, which prompted Jakubowski to bring Klein in from center field to close. Nick Norder greeted him with a sacrifice bunt and Klein subsequently hit Nick Barry with a pitch to put go-ahead run on base.

Designated hitter Nick Trimble hit a groundball to second base, which Huntley's Andre Sopena flipped to shortstop Matt Szytz covering second. Szytz's relay to first bounced and was late, but the umpire called interference on Barry's slide into second. The call resulted in an automatic double play and the Huntley players sprinted from their dugout onto the field in celebration.

Wheaton North coach Dan Schoessling calmly walked out to the umpires to get an explanation.

"He said that the fielder had a foot out the baseline and our runner slid into him there," Schoessling said. "Obviously, I don't have an angle so I couldn't see it. It's a frustrating way to end a game. Obviously, you'd like to have it end in more of a normal fashion, but things like that happen in baseball.

"We're not going to blame the umpires for losing 2-1 to Huntley. We got beat today by Huntley, bottom line." The Red Raiders took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Andre Sopena drew a 5-pitch walk from Coduto, and Carlos Alvarez followed with a line-drive single to right field. After a sacrifice bunt from Klein, Phil Pupillo purposely angled a groundball to second base to score Sopena from third.

"I just tried to play pepper with the second baseman to get that run home," Pupillo said. "I'd sacrifice an at-bat for a run any day."

Wheaton North couldn't cash in on its early scoring chances. In the top of the first inning, the Falcons had a runner at second with nobody out when Coduto hit a flyball to right field. Mike Small tagged up but was thrown out trying to advance to third base on a perfect one-hop strike from Huntley freshman right fielder Collin Lyman.

Wheaton North's Justin Swider and Murrow singled back to back to open the second, but Staab used two flyball outs and a groundout to preserve the precarious 1-0 lead. Staab also picked a runner off first base with one out in the third.

Jakubowski made a pitching change with one out in the fourth inning after Swider singled and Staab hit Murrow with a pitch. Ahillen, who threw an 86-pitch complete game in Saturday's sectional title victory over Cary-Grove, ended the threat by inducing a groundball back to the mound. He turned and fired to Szytz at second to initiate an inning-ending double play.

Huntley scored its second run in the fifth inning without the benefit of a hit. Zach Staab reached on an error at second base, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Szytz, took third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

"I'm very proud of this group of seniors," Schoessling said. "The 2009 team was very highly ranked. This year's team, nobody really knew what to make of it and we go out win 29 games and set a new program record for wins. It's because of the individuals we've had in our dugout."

The Red Raiders think Monday's win could be just the start of something greater.

"We're not done yet," Pupillo said. "We're greedy. We want more."