T.J. Swank and his Prairie Ridge teammates made sure Crystal Lake South's surprising playoff run ended on Thursday.
South again jumped out to an early lead against another heavily favored opponent. This time, however, Fox Valley Fox champion and neighborhood rival Prairie Ridge rallied to send the Gators home, winning12-2 win in five innings in the Class 4A Rockford Guilford Sectional semifinals Thursday afternoon.
Early on it looked as though the Gators might have one more upset in them. South got a home run from junior second baseman James Vazquez and tallied another run on a fielder's choice to take 2-0 advantage in the first inning.
But that would be all the Gators could muster off Swank. The Coastal Carolina recruit settled down to frustrate the explosive Crystal Lake South attack over the next four innings to improve to 10-1 on the season.
The Wolves (28-8), who have won 21 of their last 23 games, advanced to play Hononegah in the sectional championship at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Senior Sean Wilson started and took the loss for South, which upset Cary-Grove and Jacobs to capture the program's second regional title. The Gators finished 14-15 under first-year head coach Brian Bodga.
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