Two big swings of the bat helped deliver a 9-5 win for Oak Park over Young Thursday afternoon in the Class 4A Mount Carmel Sectional semifinals.
The Huskies' Kyle Glancy (8-3) left a fastball out over the plate and John Schreiber put it over the right-field fence for a grand slam in the top of the first. Schreiber's sacrifice scored Julian Kenner in the third as Whitney Young took a 5-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, JoJo Maldanado crushed a three-run homer onto the hill behind the left-field fence.
Mistakes undid Whitney Young (29-5). In the sixth, Oak Park's Sam Picchiotti went to second when center fielder Eric Tabb dropped his fly ball to left-center.
Andy Brashler reached on a perfectly placed bunt. When Brashler tried to steal second, reliever Frank Gowder's pickoff throw went into centerfield.
After Gowder walked Drew Golz, Joe Frahm came in and walked Maldanado to load the bases. Joe Kelty cracked a shot over the fence in centerfield for another grand slam.
"I thought once we got one, the runs would come easier," Oak Park coach Chris Ledbetter said. "I think we were a little more relaxed at the plate [then]."
The sectional final on Saturday will be the battle of Oak Park with Golz on the mound for the Huskies (26-8) and Cam Verbeke going for Fenwick.
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