Stay Connected with YourSeason
Neuqua Valley oustlugs Benet to advance
Updated: July 21, 2011 12:22PM
GLEN ELLYN — Knowing full well what might be on the horizon given the sweltering weather conditions on Wednesday, Neuqua Valley junior right-hander David Gerber had a simple message for teammate Cody Coll.
I got your back.
With 17th-seeded Benet’s offense pounding away at Coll to the tune of seven runs in just 3 1/3 innings and showing no signs of letting up, Gerber, who was originally lined up to go in Thursday’s Glenbard South Regional final, had his assignment pushed up a day. He threw 3 2/3 innings of one-run relief to help stem the tide while letting his offense do the rest as fourth-seeded Neuqua Valley emerged victorious in a 9-8 slugfest over Benet in the first Glenbard South Regional semifinal.
After Redwings sophomore shortstop Chris Whelan doubled home Billy Tumpane with one out in the fourth to tie the game at 6, answering a grand slam from Neuqua Valley junior catcher Dylan Goss an inning earlier, Neuqua Valley coach Robin Renner’s best-laid plans went out the window the moment he placed the ball in the hands of his 6-foot-2, 165-pound junior.
“We all have each other’s backs in there. I told Cody at the beginning of the game, ‘it’s a great day to hit, so if they get up a little bit, keep working hard,’” Gerber said. “I told him that I was ready to go in if he needed any help. … That’s a great hitting team, so I went out there and tried to do my best against them.”
To make sure Gerber’s 3 2/3 of four-hit, one-run relief wouldn’t go for naught, the Wildcats’ offense erased deficits at three different junctures of the game, including being down 2-0 and 5-2 at one point.
Because of Gerber’s solid relief and 13 hits from its offense, Neuqua Valley earned the opportunity to secure its second straight summer regional title Thursday morning at 10 opposite seventh-seeded Naperville Central, which it eliminated from last year’s summer state tournament with a 4-2 victory.
Before entering the fray on the mound, Gerber came through with a two-run homer in the second inning as an immediate counter to a two-run blast from Redwings second baseman Chris Stout while both Goss and senior shortstop Tanner Giesel would also eventually follow suit with home runs of their own.
Goss’ grand slam to right-center field in the third off Benet junior starter Tony Predey punctuated his five-RBI afternoon and gave Neuqua Valley a short-lived lead at 6-5. Giesel’s homer to left on the first pitch he saw from Benet reliever Greg Arend, who earned the save in a 5-3 victory over Glenbard South on Tuesday, leading off the sixth proved to be the difference as the two teams combined to put up runs in five of seven innings.
“It was a wild day and we came in thinking it was a great day to hit and both teams were gonna hit,” Renner said. “Pitchers from both sides kept it in the park. No one got five- or six-run innings, two here, three there, one there. So it just kept both teams in the game. (At) about the fourth inning, I told (assistant coach John) Fumagalli, ‘good thing we’re batting last.’”
Senior center fielder Jack Amaro went 3-for-4 and scored twice for the Wildcats, while Giesel, Gerber and Nick Blackburn each added a pair of hits to help eliminate the pesky Redwings, who had won three games in two days just to get to Wednesday’s semifinal as the lowest seed in the regional, for the second straight year in the summer state tournament.
“Pretty good? Great week. It was a great week all week,” said Benet sophomore assistant coach Bob Gelwicks. “We just ran out (of gas).”
© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.
Cell Phone Alerts
Comments Click here to view or make a comment