Kaneland High School is the site of Saturday’s 3A regional final. Yet the visiting Benet Academy baseball is the number two seed and bats second as they try to eliminate the Kaneland Knights from the regional for a second straight year. Gino Zagorac is on the mound for the Redwings, facing Hayden Foster on the side of Kaneland. The winner faces Burlington Central, who knocked out Benet last season. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Both pitchers go to work in the opening frames
Gino Zagorac gets to work quick, two outs and two runners on, he strikes out the shortstop Thomas Thill in just three pitches to end the inning.
Both pitchers were sharp in the first, here is Hayden Foster striking out Josh Gugora with a runner on second.
In the top of the second, a ball gets past Dom Tomala, and Austin Preuss makes a run to third. The tag by Merrick Sullivan is not in time, and Kaneland has a runner on third with one out.
The Knights get on the board first.
Villanueva is the next batter, and he can’t beat the throw to first, but the damage is done as Preuss scoots across home. Kaneland leads 1-0 after the top of the second.
In the bottom of the second Tomala bunts, Foster’s throw to first is too high and the bases are loaded with no outs and Jonny Rossi up next.
With all the pressure behind him, Foster gets Rossi swinging for out number one.
Here is a 2-2 pitch, and Foster gets Glimco out on the foul tip. Two outs, no damage.
Foster pitches the 1-2, and Nate Cerocke grounds into a forceout at second base. Despite three men on and no outs, Benet still trails 1-0.
In the top of the third, Zagorac has two runners on already and hits the DH Ian Whildin with a pitch to load the bases.
The passed ball woes continue for Benet, this one gets away and Preston Popovich scores for Kaneland. Knights lead 2-0 after the top of the third.
On to the bottom of the fourth, with one out and Mendez on second, Rossi takes a hack. Kanon Baxley scoops it up, steps on second and beats Rossi to first with his throw. The big double play gets the Knights into the fifth still in control.
Benet breaks through in the fifth inning
In the bottom of the fifth, after a Cerocke lead off single, Sullivan hits one off the glove of Foster and it sneaks through the infield to get runners on first and second with one out.
After a walk juices the bags, Gugora hits a ground ball towards third and Popovich’s throw turns into an error. Cerocke scores and Sullivan comes around as well to tie the game at two.
On the next at-bat, Quinn Rooney steps up and delivers a deep fly ball. The right fielder loses it in the sky, but it doesn’t matter as it’s about 30 feet over his head and the fence. Rooney’s 3 run shot blows the doors open for Benet. They take a 5-2 lead into the sixth inning. Big time celebrations for the Redwings.
Luke Kohlmeyer takes over for Zagorac in the 6th, and he strikes out his first batter of the day.
Yet he doesn’t escape the jam too easily, as Villanueva’s hit trickles down in the infield, allowing him to beat the throw to first. Bases loaded with two outs.
The wild pitch woes continue for Benet, as this one gets away and allows Brady Alstott to score. 5-3 Redwings.
Kohlmeyer looks to avoid any more damage, and this pitch is right on the bottom of the umpire’s zone and punches out the Kaneland hitter without even a swing.
The Redwings hang on to win the regional championship
Onto the top of the seventh, still 5-3, Baxley lines one hard towards the first basemen, and Rooney dives for an athletic play. The first out of the inning is secured and the sophomore makes another massive play for Benet, just two outs away from a regional title.
After a Popovich groundout, the DH Whildin refuses to go down quietly. His double skips off the wall and gives Kaneland some hope with the tying run coming to the plate.
Alstott sees a 1-2 and makes contact, the ball gets past Cerocke and into the outfield. Wildin comes around home, and Kaneland stays alive with 2 outs on the board. Benet leads 5-4.
A 2-1 pitch to Thill, who pops it up into right. One catch stands in the way of a regional title and Luke Wildes calmly makes the play. Benet baseball wins the regional 5-4 over Kaneland in a hard-fought battle, scoring all their runs in the 5th. The win goes to Zagorac and his six strikeouts, with Kohlmeyer nabbing the save. Benet will face Burlington Central on Wednesday in the sectional semifinals.
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