Heartbreaking ending for Warren

One more out and Warren’s baseball program would finally have its breakthrough victory.

The Blue Devils made it to a sectional final for the first time a year ago but lost to North Suburban Lake rival Stevenson. On Saturday, they were clinging to a 1-run lead with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and were on the verge of a celebration.

But an single by Prospect’s Brian Bauer tied it, and two innings later a bases-loaded wild pitch with two outs sent Warren to a tough 7-6 defeat in the Class 4A sectional championship game at Barrington’s Kirby Smith Field.

“We’re not known for our baseball program and the last two years we made it to the sectional championship,” said Warren senior designated hitter Kevin Colburn. “But this year was much more heartbreaking than last year.”

Warren had never been to a sectional championship before last season. This year it had to battle a top-seeded Mundelein team that won its first 20 games and a second-seeded Stevenson team coming off a third-place state finish.

Warren also has to contend with tough teams from Libertyville and Lake Zurich. But on Saturday it was the last NSC team still alive.

“Nobody really picked us to be here,” said Warren coach Clint Smothers. “The kids gave 100 percent and left it all on the field. I couldn’t have been more proud.”

Especially after the Blue Devils came through with clutch run-scoring hits with two outs from Adam Glogovsky, Ryan Kennedy and Colburn. Kennedy also had a perfect two-strike bunt for a hit and starting pitcher Jimmy Nickell’s sacrifice set up 2 runs.

And they did all the right things in the top of the seventh to add an insurance run for a 6-4 lead on Colburn’s sacrifice fly.

“Lately we’ve been playing really well,” said Colburn, who is going to play at Dayton. “Everyone has been stepping up and playing really hard. We had a lot of clutch hits but we just came up short today.”

Which made it tough for seniors such as Colburn, Kennedy, Caleb Haley, Tanner Erbach, Ryan McKeon and Mike Herrmann, who all saw action Saturday.

“They’re great kids and we’re definitely going to miss them,” Smothers said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these seniors.

“To have been here two times for the first time in our school’s history says a lot for those kids.”

They also laid the foundation for more in the future with Glogovsky, Nickell, shortstop-pitcher Patrick Kenney, catcher Alex Letto and left fielder Anthony Garza returning from Saturday’s starting lineup.

“This definitely means something to our program and the community,” Colburn said. “Hopefully they can keep it going and the juniors can continue this next year.”