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Baseball: Timely hits elude Marmion in sectional loss

ROCHELLE - Marmion kept the pressure on Rockford Christian from the first inning to the last Wednesday in the Class 3A Rochelle sectional semifinals.

The Cadets could never quite come up with that one clutch hit, however, and saw their season end with a 2-1 loss.

Rockford Christian (33-4) will play either Rock Falls or Sycamore for the sectional title Saturday.

The Cadets had a runner in scoring position the last 3 innings but stranded them each time against tall righty Nolan Gazouski, who improved to 9-0 allowing 4 hits and 4 walks while striking out seven.

"You have to credit their guy," Marmion coach Frank Chapman said. "He hid the ball very well. We just couldn't pick it up. We couldn't adjust to that. He throws a little heat there too."

The Cadets' final threat in the seventh started with 2 outs and nobody on. Jon Young was hit by a pitch and Will Matthews reached on an error by the shortstop.

Rockford Christian coach Mike McClellan decided to pull Gazouski, and Alec Powell caught No. 3 hitter Brandon McPherson looking on a pitch on the outside corner to strand 2 more runners and end the game.

"That was their 3 guy getting a fourth look at him (Gazouski)," McClellan said. "If they were going to beat us they were going to have to see something new."

Marmion starter Collin Gibson did everything he could do to give the Cadets a chance on a day the wind was blowing out.

Rockford Christian scored its only 2 runs in the first inning. Gibson hit the leadoff batter on the first pitch, Gazouski launched an RBI double to deep center the Cadets nearly caught, and Jacob Gugle drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with a single down the left-field line.

Gibson turned to his curve ball and change more over the next 4 innings and held the Royal Lions scoreless on just 2 more hits with no walks.

"I've been starting slow all year," Gibson said. "I think it was a lack of using my off-speed in the first inning. They jumped on fastball in the first inning, those guys are great hitters, I tip my hat to them. But then I started to figure out to use the curve ball and changeup the rest of the game."

Marmion's No. 9 hitter Michael Szalek got the Cadets on the board with a solo home run to right leading off the third.

Neither team scored again, Marmion getting singles from Young, Chase Stanke and Jake Hammer.

Young relieved Gibson in the sixth. He retired the Royal Lions in order with 2 strikeouts to combine on a 4-hitter against a 33-win Royal Lions team used to getting three or four times that many hits.

"He (Gibson) was throwing three pitches," McClellan said. "When you have the changeup mixed in there, it's not so much he threw it for a strike, you had to halfway respect it. A lot of those balls we hit down and hard could have been line drives if he was a two-pitch pitcher. Give him credit. He pitched, they moved the ball around, it was a great game all the way around."

Marmion ends the year with an 11-23 record, the product of a Catholic Blue schedule.

"We've faced countless good hitters, good teams, so I think the Catholic League really prepared us for the run we made this year," Gibson said. "I'm excited for next year and get that respect in the Catholic Blue."

"It's such a grind with the schedule and not just the teams we are playing but being in the bus that long and having to keep your grades up with what the rigors are at Marmion," Chapman said. "That's a testament to the players and their families. We're going to be young but the future is bright."

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