Palatine rallies to top Mattoon, stay alive

Big swings and little things. Surprise performances and gutsy efforts.

Palatine needed them all Friday and will need plenty of them again today in the American Legion baseball state tournament at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake.

Clint Terry went the distance with 15 strikeouts and catcher Tyler Gregory hit a grand slam in a 7-run eighth inning as Palatine won its first elimination game 11-7 over Mattoon (19-18).

Then Sean Stutzman went five solid innings for his fourth postseason win as Palatine (32-9) kept its hopes of a repeat state title alive with a 13-6 elimination-game win over Crystal Lake (24-11).

"Now that we've got the momentum I think we'll be able to carry it to (today)," said Palatine first baseman Zach Demmon, who went 2-for-4 with a double and 4 RBI, a sacrifice bunt and a stolen base in the second game.

"I've got to hand it to the guys," said Palatine coach Jeff Ryder. "Two games out here in a state tournament atmosphere and they just got it done."

Demmon will be among the many arms Ryder may need as Palatine has to win twice today to advance to next week's Great Lakes Regional in Mattoon. Moline (35-6) waits at 9 a.m. today and has to win just once for its first state title after eliminating Wheaton 12-2 in 8 innings Friday.

Terry battled through back trouble to throw 146 pitches in the opener as Palatine overcame deficits of 6-0 and 7-4.

"I was still throwing hard at the end," said Terry, who had 9 strikeouts the first 3 innings.

"Gutsy, real gutsy," Ryder said.

Matt Johnsen hit a 3-run homer and had 3 hits. Palatine trailed 7-5 in the eighth when Gregory hit a first-pitch curveball for his second grand slam of the postseason.

Demmon got the second-game start at first base for an ailing Terry and helped Palatine take a lead it didn't lose in the first. He drove in a run on a force play and was part of a double steal where Zenon Kolakowski swiped home.

"Coach said there was a change in the lineup and I wanted to show what I had," said Demmon, who had a hit off the bench against Mattoon. "You never know when you're going to get called in a game. You have to be ready for it when you are."

Stutzman was for a start after throwing 5 relief innings Wednesday and 6 relief innings in the Cook County championship Sunday. The left-hander allowed 5 hits and 3 runs (2 earned) with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk in 5 innings.

"They stayed in there and stayed tough and kept throwing hard," Gregory said of Terry and Stutzman. "Both of them had all their pitches working.

"Sean didn't have the speed he had a couple of days earlier but his curveball and changeup were working really well."

Johnsen tripled against Crystal Lake to complete a two-game cycle and Gregory hit a solo homer in the eighth for his seventh of the summer. Kolakowski allowed 1 run and 3 hits in 3 innings for the save. But the biggest surprise was in the sixth with Palatine ahead just 6-3 with two on and no out. The 6-foot-4 Demmon was asked to bunt for the first time he could ever remember.

His sacrifice led to 3 runs on Stutzman's single, Kevin Ciardiello's perfect squeeze bunt and Jake Llanas' second RBI double of the game.

"I thought I'd better get it down," Demmon smiled of the bunt sign from Ryder. "It was an interesting call, but you do what you can for the team."

Which Palatine will need to see a lot more of today.