Sports
Baseball: Marian Catholic Walks Away with Season-Ending Loss
Prairie Ridge 3, Marian Catholic 1. Spartans reach base 11 times on walks, but none of those runners score in the state summer playoffs in Lisle.
Touching All the Bases: The opportunities were there all evening for Marian Catholic in Wednesday's summer state semifinal showdown with Prairie Ridge. The Spartans had just one hit through the first six innings but had 13 batters reach base via walk, hit by pitch and an error. None of them would come around to score, though, as Marian’s only run came on a one-out solo home run by Pat Swanson in the top of the seventh inning.
The Wolves took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a two-out RBI single, added a run in the fourth inning on a balk and increased their lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on another two-out hit.
The Spartans’ comeback attempt came as homered, Brad Bohlen doubled and Pat Schmidt walked to put the tying runners on base with two outs in the top of the seventh. But Kyle Fitzgerald hit a fly out to end the contest, and Prairie Ridge won 3-1 to advance to Thursday’s final of the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association's Phil Lawler Classic.
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Patch’s MVP: Prairie Ridge’s Lucas Keller drove in the game’s first run with a two-out single in the second inning and gave the Wolves an insurance run in the sixth with another two-out RBI single.
Marian Catholic’s Leaders: Pat Swanson homered and walked three times; Brad Bohlen doubled and walked; Pat Schmidt had the Spartans’ only hit through six innings and walked twice; Jake McCabe reached base twice on walks; and leadoff man Rob Cifelli reached base twice.
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Prairie Ridge Leaders: Keller went 3-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBI singles and Nick Samuels singled and scored two runs.
Quotable I: Marian Catholic coach Phil Wail on the Spartans’ inability to make the Wolves pay for 11 base on balls: “They walked us 11 times and we don’t score one run off a walk. Brutal.”
Quotable II: Prairie Ridge coach Glen Pecoraro on his team’s pitchers picking off three runners: “We work on it a lot and practice it every day. I want our guys so confident in our picks that they won’t ever hesitate.”
Team Records: Marian Catholic finished at 17-11. Prairie Ridge improved to 38-20.
What’s Next: Marian Catholic’s season is over. Prairie Ridge will face Lincoln-Way North in the title game today at 7:30 p.m. at Benedictine University in Lisle.
