Bergman blasts Prospect to title

Luke Bergman couldn’t make it home fast enough Monday afternoon.

The Prospect senior shortstop acted as if he was racing around the bases for an inside-the-park homer instead of taking an enjoyable stroll after hitting the ball out of the park.

But Bergman wanted to hurry home to share in the joy he had just created with one swing of the bat with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning at Fremd.

When Bergman jumped on the plate and into the mob scene of teammates and coaches after his solo homer he had given third-seeded Prospect a 5-4 win, a Class 4A regional title and coach Ross Giusti an unforgettable 300th career victory.

“I was just so shocked,” Bergman said after his fifth homer of the year and most dramatic of his life cleared the fence in left-center before a big Memorial Day crowd.

“It was a bomb,” said Prospect starter and complete-game winner Ben Menich.

When it landed the Knights (23-8) were headed to Thursday’s 4:30 p.m. Barrington sectional semifinal against No. 7 St. Viator (22-13), which beat Deerfield 5-2 for the Highland Park regional title.

For Prospect to win its fourth regional title and first since 2007 it had to overcome No. 12 Fremd (20-14) taking the lead in a 3-run fifth that started with a bizarre interference play. There was also a lengthy delay in the middle of the seventh as the home plate umpire became ill from the 90-degree heat and was replaced by his partner.

But the biggest obstacle for the Knights was Fremd senior left-hander Sean Stutzman. After a shaky start, Stutzman finished with 12 strikeouts in 6 innings.

“I really calmed down and settled in and didn’t try to overthrow,” said Stutzman, who is headed to junior college power Des Moines Area Community College.

“He’s the best pitcher we’ve seen all year by far,” Bergman said. “I had heard stuff about him and it matched exactly what people were saying.”

But Stutzman was done after throwing 125 pitches and getting the last five outs to save Saturday’s regional semifinal.

“I talked to ‘Smitty’ (pitching coach Brian Smith) a lot about wanting to go back into the game but when I heard my pitch count I didn’t think I could go,” Stutzman said.

“He wanted to go back out there but we said no,” said Fremd coach Chris Piggott. “That’s the kind of competitive fire he’s got. He wants to be out there in those situations.”

Sidewinding righty Brett Tudela got the first two Prospect hitters in the seventh on swinging strikes. Then Bergman came up and got all of a 1-0 pitch he was looking for.

“He threw all sliders and Steve Dazzo said if it starts at you it will be a strike,” Bergman said. “I just waited back and flicked my wrists.”

Jack Landwehr (2-for-2) had an RBI single in Prospect’s 2-run first and Peter Bonahoom’s two-out RBI double in the fourth made it 3-1.

The Fremd fifth started with Jimmy Latal trying to duck out of the way of two Menich pitches over his head and behind him that hit his bat. The second one dribbled into fair territory and Latal was awarded first on an interference call when he bumped into catcher Kurt Donner.

After a hit-and-run single by Zach Kolakowski (2-for-4) and a walk to Josh Jyawook, Stutzman hit a 2-run double to right-center and Kurt Kaufman put Fremd up 4-3 with a sacrifice fly.

Menich (7-2), who made a mechanical adjustment with pitching coach Trevor Stocking after a couple of rough starts, pitched out of first-and-second, one-out jams in the last two innings. He got all 6 of his strikeouts on a tailing changeup.

“We just know each other so well and I can trust every one of these guys,” Menich said. “I knew we’d come through.”

Matt Molini’s leadoff single in the sixth set up Donner’s tying RBI single to center. Then Bergman delivered his parting shot.

“I wouldn’t want to get it (300th win) with any other team,” Giusti said. “I’m so proud of these kids.”