St. Charles N., Glenbard W. still tied
Willowbrook Class 4A regional semifinal baseball opponents Glenbard West and St. Charles North both lived to see another day after Friday’s tournament opener.
How is that possible, you ask?
Following a brief meeting with the team’s head coaches near home plate, umpires suspended play due to darkness with the score tied at 5-5 after 9 innings.
The teams will return to Villa Park Saturday and resume play at 10 a.m., with the Hilltoppers’ Tyler Curtis scheduled to lead off the top of the 10th inning.
“We’ve had a little bit of everything,” North Stars coach Todd Genke said of back-to-back rainouts Wednesday and Thursday that pushed the start back two days — and now a suspended game. “We’re disappointed. We should have already played this game but it is what it is.
“We’ll come back here tomorrow ready to play.”
The main reason why the teams will reconvene was provided by Ben Krusen, whose clutch 2-run home run with 1 out in the top of the seventh cleared the center field fence and tied the game at 5-5.
“I can’t give Ben enough credit,” Hilltoppers coach Brian Wojtun said of Krusen (3-for-5), who also pitched the first 6 innings in addition to driving in all of his team’s runs. “He’s really been solid for us all year.
“For him to come through like that — it’s not surprising because he’s come through for us multiple times like that this year,” added Wojtun.
Krusen’s home run came on a 0-2 pitch off of North Stars reliever Ryan Jones.
“Ryan has been our stopper all year,” said Genke. “He just left a pitch up. We knew coming in that he (Krusen) was their best hitter and we had him 0-2. We wanted to make a better pitch than that but I tip my cap to him. He hit a hanging breaking ball the way you should hit one. It was a big play.
“I honestly didn’t think anyone would hit a ball out today but he did, and that’s why we’re in this position,” added Genke.
Glenbard West (17-18) grabbed a 1-0 first-inning lead on Krusen’s RBI single before Matt Thomas (3-for-3) delivered a 2-run single in the second to put the North Stars (26-10) on top 2-1.
After Krusen’s 2-run double put the Hilltoppers back on top 3-2 in the third, the North Stars answered with 2 runs of their own in the fourth. Jake Bergren singled, stole second and scored on Brandon Drawant’s single before Drawant came across moments later on a wild pitch.
St. Charles North, which swiped 5 bases, upped its lead to 5-3 when Dirk Schmitt coaxed a 2-out walk and rounded first base before stopping halfway to second, allowing Clayton Schmitt to take off from third and steal home.
“It’s something we work on,” said Genke. “We just try to pick and choose the right situation for it.”
The North Stars’ 7-8-9 hitters, Bergren, Drawant and Thomas, collected 6 of their 9 hits with 4 runs scored and 4 stolen bases.
Bergren will get another opportunity Saturday as St. Charles North’s leadoff hitter in the bottom of the 10th.
“It will be interesting to see how we react,” said Bergren. “I’m sure we’ll come ready to play.”
Without a winner being determined Friday, Wojtun held wishes that could be shared by both sides.
“Hopefully it doesn’t rain again tomorrow,” he said.