Cservenyak's smack gives JCA 3A title

Joliet Catholic players celebrate after beating Glenwood in the Class 3A state title game.
(Liz Wilkinson Allen/Herald News)

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Steve Cservenyak is not your typical No. 8 hitter. For starters, the power-hitting senior outfielder recently broke the Joliet Catholic single-season home run record, not to mention he hit cleanup during the Hilltoppers' Class 3A third-place finish last year.

Nevertheless, there he was Saturday, hitting in the eight-hole, walking to the plate with the bases loaded, score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth.

Cservenyak proceeded to deliver a two-run single that lifted Joliet Catholic to the Class 3A state championship, 3-2, over Chatham Glenwood at Joliet's Silver Cross Field.

"The last at-bat of my senior season getting the game-winning hit, it doesn't get much better than that," said Cservenyak, who hit three home runs in JCA's playoff run, including his record-breaking 12th Friday in the state semifinals. "At Joliet Catholic, we come here to win, and that's what we did."

But it was anything but easy. The Hilltoppers (32-5) struggled mightily against Glenwood starter Tristan Molumby (11-1), mustering only one hit through the first five innings. Trailing 1-0 heading into the sixth, junior third baseman Andrew Cecchi, who had three of JCA's four hits in the game, singled with one out.

"I was getting scared," said Cecchi. "We hadn't been shutout all year. But we just came together as a team."

Molumby began to show signs of fatigue, and walked three of the next four batters, including Kevin Hulbert with the bases loaded to make it 1-1.

Then up stepped Cservenyak, who grounded a fastball between the first and second baseman.

Cservenyak then came in relief of senior right-hander Brock Liston (9-0), who allowed four hits and one second-inning run in five innings work.

Glenwood (32-6) pushed a run across in the sixth to make it 3-2, but Cservenyak retired the seventh in order, the final out coming on a ground out to Cecchi, igniting a wild celebration before their hometown fans.

"The dogpile hurt a little bit, but it felt great," said Cservenyak, a St. Joseph's College recruit.

"It's unreal," said Liston. "What an unbelievable way to finish my senior season with a state championship."

For JCA head coach Jared Voss, the championship marked his first state crown - the school's second - after finishing second twice (2000 and 2004) and third last year.

"I'm just trying to keep everything in perspective right now," Voss said. "I guess we got to go back-to-back next year."