Oswego's state bid falls just short

Oswego catcher Steve Figgins (right) tags out LaSalle-Peru's Ty Bernal at home.
(Donnell Collins/For the Beacon News)

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ROCK ISLAND – Oswego’s magical postseason ride ended not once, but twice Tuesday on the warning track of Augustana College’s Bruner Field at Swanson Stadium.

With the Panthers trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Cory Johnson’s one-out blast to left was hauled in by LaSalle-Peru’s Scott McNamara for the second out.

After Ryan Tackitt’s single to right-center gave Oswego runners at first and second, it was Ryan Prinzing’s shot to center that Ty Bernal snagged just ahead of the 375-foot sign for the clinching out.

“If just one of those two to the wall flies a little further, or they don’t make the catch, we’re the ones celebrating,” Oswego coach Chris Neitzel said.

Instead, the Panthers — whose 5-4 start ended in a 7-23 regular-season mark — must finally put away their equipment following an 11-24 campaign that came one game short of landing them with an elite group of seven schools in four sports to earn state hardware with losing records.

LaSalle-Peru’s Cavaliers (33-3) advance to the state semifinals after having fallen one step short in each of the last two seasons. LaSalle-Peru will play Glenwood at 10 a.m. Friday in Joliet. Grayslake Central and Joliet Catholic face off in the other semifinal.

“Any other field and we might not be the ones advancing,” Cavaliers coach Bill Booker said. “Just when we could breathe a little easier thanks to one great play in left field, we got another in center. That’s when you know all the drills paid off. Their last hitter, he certainly put a charge into it, didn’t he?”

Bernal’s defensive gem enabled his sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh to become the winning RBI as he drove home Matt Schmitt, the courtesy runner for Joe Goskusky.

“With our pitching, I thought there was a good chance it (the sacrifice fly) would hold up,” Bernal said.

As for the final out: “I knew I could get to it even as I was backpedaling,” Bernal said. “I did that because I was too scared to turn around and look at the fence.”

The contest got off to a scary start for Oswego as Bernal opened with a double to left and came home on Dan Bergagna’s double to right-center. With one out, Ryan Huebbe singled to left to plate Bergagna and Cavaliers starting pitcher Dave Suarez added a sacrifice fly to put the Panthers in a 3-0 hole.

Suarez, who came in with a 9-1 record, retired the first nine hitters he faced, yielding his initial hit in the fourth.

After the first-inning troubles, Oswego starter Drew Nicholson got on track to post five straight perfect innings.

“The way the game started, it looked pretty ugly for us,” Neitzel said. “At the same time, they hit the ball hard and after that, we settled down. Drew really had them in control and I felt good about our chances.”

Neitzel felt even better after the top of the fifth thanks to the hustle of second baseman Josh Wagner, who tracked a pop fly into short left and then gunned down Bernal at the plate for the final out to keep it at 3-0.

That’s when the Panthers offense came to life, beginning with singles from Adam Brooking and Jordan Frieders. After Suarez notched his fifth strikeout and got a flyout, he walked Wagner before uncorking a wild pitch that enabled Brooking to score. After a free pass to Cory Johnson, Tackitt connected for a two-run single that knotted the contest.

“As exciting as that hit was, I’d rather have a win,” Tackitt said. “I’d gladly trade it for a hit for either of those two in the last inning.”

LaSalle-Peru then turned to Goskusky on the mound, who got a pop out to end the fifth and stranded a Panther in the sixth by finishing that frame with a strikeout.

Oswego called on Scott Allegretti for the seventh, but the sophomore lefty (2-5) was unable to get the win as he did in the Panthers’ sectional title game.

Goskusky landed on second thanks to an errant throw. Schmitt stepped in for Goskusky and moved to third on Bubb’s sacrifice bunt before coming home on Bernal’s blast.

“Drew had lost a little gas but pitched well after settling down,” Neitzel said. “We didn’t help ourselves to start the seventh, but we battled all the way. They had to throw their best at us and I’m very proud of our guys. I really thought Prinzi’s hit was gone. In any other park ...”

Goskusky began the top of the seventh with a called third strike before yielding a single and the fly to left before exiting. That’s when Valparaiso signee Karch Kowalczyk (11-0) took the mound for LaSalle-Peru. After Tackitt’s single, Kowalczyk picked up a save with the last out while Goskusky improved to 7-0.

“After a tough regular season, I believe it says a lot about our character to put the past behind us and come together as a team the way we did in the tournament,” Tackitt said.