Willowbrook completes sweep in 10th

Willowbrook's baseball team prides itself on never giving up on a game.

The Warriors certainly weren't going to give up against rival Addison Trail Tuesday in Villa Park.

Trailing by a run heading to the bottom of the 10th inning, Brett Buchanan's 2-run, two-out single gave Willowbrook a thrilling 8-7 victory to cap a three-game West Suburban Gold sweep of the Blazers.

"It's tough, it seemed like we should have been winning the whole game," said Buchanan, who went 3-for-5 hitting leadoff. "It's nice to get a win like this against AT because it's our district rivals and a conference game."

Addison Trail (14-18, 8-10) took a 7-6 lead in the top of the 10th when Todd Brocksome, who slashed a key 2-run single in the fourth inning, doubled and went to third on a flyout. When the relay throw went wild, Brocksome sprinted home.

The Blazers nearly emerged victorious after notching the second out of the 10th inning on right fielder Mike Miceli's bullet throw home to get a runner trying to score on Andy Voelker's single. After Voelker stole second, Buchanan came through in the clutch.

"It was a great high school game," said Blazers coach Paul Parpet. "We took the lead there in the top of the 10th and they executed and got the big, timely hit. It was a well-played game by both teams."

Run-scoring hits by Danny Fahlgren, Eric Maki and Mike Elgeness spotted Willowbrook (23-10, 13-5) to a 3-0 first-inning lead. After Addison Trail tied it in the fourth, the Blazers took a 5-3 lead in the fifth on Miceli's RBI single.

Maki's 2-run double sparked a 3-run bottom of the fifth for the Warriors, who briefly held a 6-5 lead. The Blazers quickly tied it up on Tyler Ramir's sixth-inning RBI single.

Buchanan and Brian Cree each had 3 hits for Willowbrook, while Maki, Elgeness and Jose Castro had 2 hits apiece. Castro (4-1) picked up the win in relief, pitching 42/3 strong innings.

Brocksome, Ramir and Ismael DeLaCruz had 2 hits apiece for Addison Trail.

"These guys have been battling all year," said Willowbrook coach Steve Gilliam. "We've been playing very well since we got swept by Downers South early in the season. We've lost some tough games along the way, but we haven't given up. You can just tell their confidence is much higher than it was earlier in the season."