Maldanado powers Huskies in 4A semis
Not that Jo Jo Maldanado wanted to be greedy, but in his fourth and final at-bat, the Oak Park junior shortstop said he was thinking about hitting a triple.
It's not everyday, after all, that he has an opportunity to hit for the cycle.
Instead, Maldanado connected for his second home run to put the finishing touches on his memorable performance -- and Wheaton North -- in Oak Park's 11-1, six-inning rout Friday in the Class 4A state semifinals at Joliet's Silver Cross Field.
The 6-foot, 180-pound Maldanado, who's been carrying the Huskies' offense throughout the playoffs, finished 4-for-4 with six RBI, four runs, a double and a pair of homers. It was Maldanado's sixth home run in the last seven games.
"We were seeing [Wheaton North pitcher Trey Martin's] pitches good," Maldanado said. "When we came the second time around, we were all on him."
Oak Park (29-9), which will play for its third state championship Saturday at 7 p.m., jumped on Wheaton North (24-14) for two runs in the first thanks to Maldanado's run-scoring double. The Huskies made it 5-1 in the third when Maldanado crushed a three-run homer to left field.
The run support was more than enough for senior left-hander Drew Golz. The Air Force Academy-bound Golz (8-1) limited Wheaton North's offense to three hits and struck out eight to two walks in five innings.
"That's the best I've seen him look all year," said Oak Park coach Chris Ledbetter.
Sam Picchiotti, who entered the game hitting .475, went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. All nine starters had at least one hit to hand Martin (6-1) his first loss of the season. In Oak Park's three-run fifth inning, Kyle Glancy had an RBI triple and Andy Brashler drove in a run with a double.
"Oak Park is an excellent team, a great hitting team," said Wheaton North coach Dan Schoessling, who has guided the Falcons to their first state appearance. "Trey didn't have his best stuff, and against good hitting teams, it tends to snowball."
Travis Otto led Wheaton North with two hits and a run scored.