Stay Connected with YourSeason
Upstart Kaneland wins 3A title
Class 3A State Championship game vs Oak Forest in
Joliet Saturday. June, 11, 2011.
Ray Luna ~ For Sun-Times Media
Updated: June 11, 2011 7:33PM
Kaneland’s goal coming into the season was to win the school’s first regional championship, a modest step toward achieving something greater.
Kaneland not only took that initial step, it leap-frogged all other goals to achieve the pinnacle. The Knights, whom nobody gave much of a chance to win, brought home the school’s first championship trophy Saturday after it hammered Oak Forest 11-3 in the Class 3A title game at Silver Cross Field in Joliet.
“This is the best feeling in the world to bring home the first state championship in school history,” said senior second baseman Brian Dixon, the team’s No. 8 hitter who went 3-for-4 with four RBI. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. This is a dream come true.”
Clutch two-out hitting. Check-swing doubles. Infield singles. Everything seemed to work for Kaneland (26-10) against Oak Forest (27-8-1).
“We had a lot of things go our way,” said senior third baseman Bobby Thorson, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, including a check-swing, run-scoring double. “I tried to keep karma on our side throughout the entire playoffs, and it paid off, I guess.”
Kaneland had more than karma going its way. The Knights pounded out 13 hits, six coming from the bottom three hitters in the lineup, against four Oak Forest pitchers.
After Oak Forest scored two runs in the fourth inning to take a 2-1 advantage, Kaneland came right back in the bottom half of the inning to reclaim the lead, 3-2, on consecutive two-out, run-scoring singles by right fielder Jake Razo (2-for-3, two RBI) and Dixon.
Then the Knights put the game away in the fifth when they erupted for six runs. At one point, seven of eight Kaneland hitters delivered hits, including Thorson’s check-swing double to right field, a bloop double by Razo and an infield single by centerfielder Joe Camiliere (3-for-4, three runs). First baseman Sam Komel delivered the big hit, a two-run single. Oak Forest used three pitchers in the inning. By that time Kaneland led 9-2.
“Hats off to our guys for hitting the snot out of the ball the last two games,” said Kaneland coach Brian Aversa, whose team closed out the season winning its last 13 games.
Oak Forest, which was seeking its first championship since 1985, squandered several scoring opportunities early on, including a second-and-third situation in the first inning. The Bengals finally broke through against junior left-hander Drew Peters (5-1) in the fourth inning when sophomore designated hitter Jason Hine delivered a two-out, two-run single to give Oak Forest a brief 2-1 lead.
Right-hander Kyle Davidson pitched the final three innings, allowing four hits and one run, to secure Kaneland’s surprising championship.
Junior catcher John Zubek went 3-for-4 with a run to pace Oak Forest, and freshman right fielder Brian Richard and senior shortstop Bobby Sheppard each had two hits.
“This year has been such an amazing season,” said Sheppard, a UIC recruit. “We have come so far. There is no shame in winning the second-place trophy. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
© 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