BYRON, Ill.—North Boone head coach Andrew Baden got the obvious out of the way by commenting that his baseball team’s 5-3 loss to Newman Central Catholic in an IHSA 2A sectional final wasn’t how it wanted the season to end.
But Baden then added that there was one major reason he was proud of his Vikings’ outing on a warm and sunny Saturday at Byron High School: they never deviated from the style of play that got them this far.
“We were still us right up to the very last inning,” the head coach said. “We didn’t shrink to the moment. If we had won, it would have perfectly put together every piece that we are as a team. We hit a good pitcher, played great defense and had athletes flying around everywhere.”
North Boone starter Matt Self and Comets’ starter Gage Wolfe matched each other for two scoreless innings before second-seeded Newman (24-4-1) struck first in the third inning after Brendan Tunink hit a two-out single and scored when Ashton Miner whacked a double over left fielder Margarito Espain’s head.
The third-seeded Vikings (26-9) then surged ahead with a big bottom of the fourth. RJ Wolski walked and JJ Ford singled to get it started but Wolski was picked off of second base. Grady Condon singled and Espain blooped a single into center field to load the bases and chase Wolfe from the game.
“We just played great baseball,” senior third baseman Eli Lopez said. “We're working the count, we got their starter out of there in less than four innings. They had to bring in a guy that is going to Notre Dame.”
The Fighting Irish-bound Tunink promptly threw a wild pitch that allowed Ford to score. A strikeout put the Comets just an out away from escaping with it tied at one, but Gage Veremtt had other ideas and his line-drive single into center field made it 3-1.
“One through nine, we're always fighting,” Lopez said. “We're always trying to get that extra base, always trying to get an extra out when we can. The seniors stepped up, but especially the younger guys, the sophomores and juniors, they all played their part.”
Lopez rocketed a hit to the shortstop who couldn’t handle the ball and allowed the Vikings to reach on the error. Self then drew a full-count walk but Tunink got a strikeout to end the threat.
It was the only offense that the Vikings could manage the rest of the night as the lefty Tunink allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out eight over the last 3 2-3 innings.
“If you look at his pitching numbers last year and how he's done in the playoffs so far, he's pretty much eliminated everybody that he's seen,” Baden said. “I'm super proud of the way that our kids battled. They know the kid is going to Notre Dame, but they didn't shrink to it. We pushed him as well as anybody that he's seen all year.”
Wolfe was charged with six hits and three earned runs with a walk and two strikeouts.
Newman’s offense started to chip away at the Vikings’ lead. In the fifth, Christopher Nicklaus doubled with one out and Tunink brought him home on a two-out triple down the right-field line.
Miner was intentionally walked and Self successfully stranded Tunink at third when Kelly laced a ground ball up the middle that was nabbed by a diving Ford and quickly flipped to Quinn Danner at second for the force out.
“That was one of the best plays I've seen a high school shortstop ever make,” Baden said. “That's a single against just about every single team, not even just in the state — most kids just don't make that play, and he made it look pretty easy.
But the Comets tied it at three in the sixth when Wolfe drew a one-out walk, moved to second on a single and advanced to third and scored on two separate wild pitches.
“Playoff baseball is tough,” Baden said. “You do one or two things wrong in a game and your season's over. You have to be perfect and we weren't quite perfect.”
Self got a pop out to strand a runner yet again at third but he was pulled after hitting Garret Matznick to start the seventh.
“Matt is such a competitor,” Baden said. “He's got good stuff. He's been a baseball player since he was born. He wants the ball in those kinds of moments, and he performed today. He gave us a chance to win.”
The senior was charged with four earned runs on six hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
The Comets rallied off the relieving Vermett to send themselves to the super sectionals. Tunink singled up the middle and Miner was intentionally walked before an RBI groundout to second by Daniel Kelly made it 4-3. A sac fly by Wolfe into center field pushed it to 5-3.
Chris Doetch walked to begin the bottom of the seventh and a ground out moved him to second. But he was tagged out trying to advance to third on Ford’s ground out to the shortstop and a strikeout ended the game.
“You look at the scoreboard, it was 5-3, but it felt like it was tied the whole game,” Lopez said. “It was just back and forth. These boys battled all seven innings, and it really speaks to how great we are as a team.”
Lopez had two of the Vikings’ eight hits while Tunink went 3-for-4 for Newman.
“Eli, stepping in this year as our senior leader, really set the tone for everybody,” Baden said. “He's the ultimate team guy, he's never about Eli. He's always helping younger guys, and not just younger guys on our roster but also the freshmen in the program. He's the kind of guy that everybody wants on their team.”
The loss is a small blemish in what was a historic season for the Vikings. Finishing at 26-8 overall, it was the most wins in program history and was the first time they won more than 20 in over 30 years. They also won just their second regional title in 30 years.
“The wins are great and the numbers that they put up are great, but the coolest thing for me is they really did play like a family this year,” Baden said. “They came together and bought in. It was fun from day one. They had each other's backs. There's not a guy in the dugout that doesn't root for the other 14.”
Graduation will make itself felt as the program loses graduating players such Lopez and Self, both as stellar pitchers as they are hitters, Doetch, the hard-hitter who paced the team in homers, and Quinn Danner, who had a mighty fine glove in the middle infield.
But the program now has a higher standard, one that includes competing for the Big Northern title and sectional championships.
“That’s the bar now,” Baden said. “The next time we get back to this spot, we've got experience and maybe a little bit less nerves next time. We lose some big pieces of the team, but we bring a lot of guys back that'll have some big time playoff experience now.”
• BOXSCORE:
NEWMAN CENTRAL CATHOLIC 5, NORTH BOONE 3
NCC 001 011 2 — 5 8 1
NB 000 300 0 — 3 8 0
NEWMAN CENTRAL (ab-r-h-rbi) — Matznick, ss, 3-1-1-0; Tunink, cf-p, 4-2-3-1; Miner, rf, 2-0-1-1; Kelly, c, 4-0-0-0; Decker, dh-cf, 2-0-0-0; Wolfe, p-3b, 2-1-1-1; Williams, 1b, 4-0-1-0; Oswalt, lf, 3-0-0-0; Nicklaus, 3b-2b, 3-1-1-0. Totals: 27-5-8-4.
NORTH BOONE (ab-r-h-rbi) — Lopez, 3b, 4-0-2-0; Self, p-cf, 3-0-1-0; Doetch, rf, 3-0-0-0; Wolski, cf, 3-0-1-0; Ford, ss, 3-1-1-0; Condon, dh, 4-1-1-0; Espain, lf, 3-1-1-0; Meredith, 1b, 3-0-0-0; Vermett, cf-p, 3-0-1-2. Totals: 29-3-8-2.
E: Matznick. LOB: NCC 9, NB 8. CS: Matznick, Wolski. 2B: Miner, Nicklaus. 3B: Tunink. SF: Wolfe. HBP: Matznick, Self.
Pitching: NCC, Wolfe 3.1-6-3-3-1-2, Tunink (W) 3.2-2-0-0-3-8. NB: Self (L) 6.0-7-4-4-3-4, Vermett 1.0-1-1-1-2-0.
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