Hilltoppers outlast Lemont

Updated: June 1, 2011 11:40PM

This one was over.

Joliet Catholic took a three-run lead into the seventh inning of Wednesday night’s Class 3A Lincoln-Way West Sectional semifinal.

Ace left-hander Kevin Duchene was cruising. Kyle Cunningham’s splendid stab of a one-hopper down the third-base line resulted in the first out and the next hitter flied out, moving a seemingly meaningless Lemont runner to third base.

Then it happened. As Yogi said, “The game ain’t over till it’s over.”

With a 2-and-0 count on Kevin Goergen, Joliet Catholic coach Jared Voss and Duchene agreed, the lefty’s tank was empty. Right-hander John Chignoli relieved, and Goergen walked.

Josh Ferry, the ace right-hander the Hillltoppers’ offense was able to solve most of the night, cracked his third hit, a long fly ball against the right-center field fence. Joliet Catholic right fielder Nate Searing had the ball in his glove every so briefly, crashed into the fence hard and was injured but stayed in the game.

Center fielder Cody Columbus grabbed the ball, short-hopped the relay throw in and Ferry, who was credited with a two-run triple, came all the way around to tie the game at 7.

Finally, in the bottom of the eighth, Joliet Catholic loaded the bases and, with one out won the war 8-7 as Ryan Peter’s grounder bounced off Ferry’s chest at first base.

The reward for the Hilltoppers (23-9) is a 10 a.m. Saturday match-up against Oak Forest, the No. 1 seed, and junior pitcher Kyle Funkhouser.

Lemont (24-9) packed up the dugout with the knowledge it was involved in one of the better high school baseball games of this or any other season.

The heroes in both dugouts were too numerous to name. But the player of the game, perhaps was Joliet Catholic’s Alex Voitik. He ripped hard doubles in his first two at-bats, went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs.

“I can’t believe we did this against Ferry,” Voitik, a sophomore catcher, said. “I haven’t been in a game like this, not in my lifetime. It’s my biggest game.

“I’ve had a bigger offensive game, but that kid threw about 40 mph. That wasn’t this.”

“It was good to see a sophomore not intimidated by a pitcher of that caliber,” Voss said.

“The kid can hit,” Duchene said, smiling toward Voitik. “Solid missiles all night. Ferry pitched just about a perfect game, and our guys went up there and hit him.”

One key was Ferry struck out only one batter in the second through sixth innings, the last five he pitched. “We hope at this point of the season that we will be able to battle at the plate, and we did,” Voss said.

Lemont led 1-0, trailed 2-1, led 3-2, trailed 4-3, tied it at 4 and trailed 5-4 and 7-4 before erupting for the tying runs in the seventh.

“Ferry against Duchene, I thought four runs would be enough,” Lemont coach Joe Rodeghero said. “If you would have told me this many runs would score, I would have said you’re crazy. As it turned out, seven runs wasn’t enough.”

Rodeghero said he lifted Ferry in favor of Jeremy Santiago after six innings “because Josh was over 100 pitches, and I know his tank is 100-110. He was uncharacteristically falling behind hitters today. It was a no-brainer to make the move there.”

In addition to Voitik’s hot night at the plate, Luke Swanson had two hits and an RBI, Adrian Nunez doubled in a run and Zach Melone singled one in.

For Lemont, Ferry drove in three runs with his three hits, Trevor Murphy added two, Gio Schmitt tripled in a run, Kyle Milinowisch doubled one home and Goergen had an RBI single.

With the switch-hitting Ferry looming on deck and Duchene facing the 2-and-0 count on Goergen in the seventh, Voss made the move.

“I had had enough,” Duchene said. “I was around 125 pitches. Maybe I pitched to one or two guys too many.

“This was just a great game no matter how you look at it. I’ve never been in a better one.”

That from a kid who threw a no-hitter and was one walk from a perfect game in last week’s regional.

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