Stay Connected with YourSeason
Thorson helps carry Kaneland into final
Updated: June 10, 2011 7:13PM
Not much was going right for Kaneland early in Friday’s Class 3A semifinal against Waterloo at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.
But the Knights weren’t worried. After all, this was a team that righted itself after a 1-6 stretch in late April and early May. Chasing two runs in the state tourney? No problem.
Ace Bobby Thorson settled down after an uneven start and triggered a four-run fourth inning with a leadoff triple, sparking Kaneland to an 8-2 win. The Knights (25-10) will play Oak Forest (35-4) Saturday morning for the 3A title.
Those mid-season struggles are just a distant memory for the Knights, who have won 12 straight since hitting that rough patch.
“We had a big injury with Sam Komel,” Kaneland coach Brian Aversa said. “Bobby’s a leader, but Sam’s kind of a catalyst. ... You get through Bobby (who hits cleanup), you’ve got to get through Sam as well and he did some damage today.
“A big part of the team was missing. We saw that when we got him back.” Komel went 3-for-4 Friday, including a two-run single in a four-run sixth that helped the Knights pull away.
Thorson started Kaneland’s first big inning, which also featured No. 9 hitter Tyler Heinle’s perfectly executed suicide squeeze on a pitchout.
“We needed a little inspiration,” Thorson said. “I felt great after (the rally), more confident. I had something to protect.”
Jake Razo’s infield single scored pinch runner Ray Barry and Brian Dixon’s base hit drove in Drew French to tie the score at 2. That set the stage for Heinle, whose bunt was so good that he not only drove in Razo (2-for-4) but also reached first.
Heinle had an inkling Waterloo (32-4) might make his job harder by pitching out. “I saw the pitcher and catcher make eye contact,” Heinle said. “I just reached out there and put it down.”
The Knights made it 4-2 when Dixon scored on an error and that was more than enough for Thorson (7-3), who overcame some early issues to finish with a four-hitter.
“To start the game, I couldn’t figure out the umpire’s (strike) zone,” said Thorson, who also had issues with the muggy weather.
“To start, my hands were a little sweaty,” he said. “The rest of the game I was blowing on my hands constantly to keep my hand dry enough to break out the curveballs.”
After Lucas Wetzler’s RBI single in the third pushed Waterloo’s lead to 2-0, Thorson retired 11 straight batters.
“The triple gave us some life and he was money after that,” Aversa said.
Just in case, the Knights added four more runs in the sixth after the first two hitters were retired.
Kyle Davidson started the rally with a double and scored on Corey Landers’ RBI single. After Joe Camiliere walked, Thorson (2-for-4) had an RBI single and Komel followed with his two-run hit.
© 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