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Baseball: Cook, Lake Park beat Willowbrook in ninth

Connor Cook thought he gave away the game in the top of the seventh inning.

He grabbed it back for good in the bottom of the ninth.

Cook's run-scoring single earned Lake Park's baseball team a walk-off win in Saturday's Class 4A Lake Park regional final, lifting the Lancers to a 4-3 extra-inning win over Willowbrook in Roselle.

With their ninth regional championship in hand, the fourth-seeded Lancers (22-12) move on with hopes of winning the program's first sectional title. They'll play No. 1 St. Charles North in the Schaumburg sectional semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"I wanted that moment right there," said Cook, who struck out 12 in 7 innings on the mound. "I wanted to get that win back. Everyone did their job today. If we keep playing like that we'll be tough to beat."

For the second straight day No. 12 Willowbrook (18-17) staged a stunning rally in the top of the seventh inning. The Warriors scored twice off Cook to tie the game 3-3 on consecutive RBI doubles by Cam Zunkel and Trevor Jaloszynski.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth when Colin Jamison singled to lead off the inning and moved to third on Paul Beverly's one-out hit-and-run single. With runners on second and third, Cook lined a shot right at Willowbrook pitcher Matt Garbacz.

The ball ricocheted high off Garbacz's glove and into center field to end the game and give the Lancers their third regional title in four years.

"They've given us everything they've got this season," said Willowbrook coach Vic Wisner. "They don't give up. I thought we'd get it there the way we came back, but that's baseball."

Willowbrook loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning but managed only 1 run when T.J. Geritano scored on a passed ball. Lake Park tied it on a fourth-inning fielder's choice from A.J. Ackerley, who got the win in relief of Cook with 2 scoreless innings of relief.

A two-out error in the fifth put the Lancers in the lead at 2-1, and another two-out error in the sixth made it 3-1. Willowbrook starter Matt Pizur allowed 4 hits and 1 earned run in 5 innings.

"It's the first time we've won (a regional) at home, so it's really nice to do it in front of the home crowd," said Lancers coach Dan Colucci. "What a way to end it, too. We persevered and got it done."

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