Barry’s homer knocks down pair of records

Updated: May 7, 2011 5:59PM

On Friday night, Oak Forest’s Tim Barry used a single swing to make double the history.

A two-run shot in the top of the fifth inning at home against Bremen made him the home run and RBI king of Illinois high school baseball. The home run was the 50th of Barry’s career, which broke a tie with Odin’s Curtis Parrish, who hit 49 from 2000-03. The two RBI were the 194th and 195th of Barry’s career, the latter giving him one more than Greenville’s Stefan Neece from 2002-05.

When asked how he celebrated, Barry had a puzzled look, as if to question why one would celebrate becoming the all-time home run and RBI leader in IHSA history.

“What do you mean celebrate?” Barry said. “I just went out to dinner with the girlfriend.”

For Barry, the record just means he has to compete with himself.

“I’m going to make sure nobody breaks it,” Barry said before Oak Forest took on Crete-Monee Saturday morning. “It feels great, but it really means nothing to me.”

“If I find out there’s a goal out there, I set a goal for myself to beat it. If I do get it, I try to make sure no one else gets it. I’m going to try for 60 home runs.”

No. 8 Oak Forest certainly welcomes more home runs, but is happy the record chase is over and that Mother Nature didn’t ruin Barry’s chance at history.

“If he hits 60, we might be in the state championship,” Oak Forest coach Thad Gatton said. “The record was kind of a like the big, pink elephant in the room and no one wanted to talk about it. With all the weather and the games being backed up, we didn’t know if he would even get a chance.”

Crete-Monee had little doubt what they were going to do with Barry.

“We’re going to pitch to him,” Crete-Monee coach Gene Cahan said. “My kids aren’t going to remember walking a great hitter, but they will remember challenging him, whether they beat him or give up a home run.

“Either way, they can tell it to their grandkids.”

Barry went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, two infield popouts, one of which he reached on an error, and a flyout to left-center. Crete-Monee pitcher Mike Wojtanowski challenged him four times and got the best of him.

“He was just another kid to me,” Wojtanowski said. “I just wanted to go right after him. I didn’t care if he hit all those home runs.”

Wojtanowski pitched 6.1 innings and Crete-Monee (9-10) scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to take home the victory 8-5.

Oak Forest moved to 16-4 overall.

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