Gerber bails out Neuqua Valley

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, Gerber, who was originally lined up to go in Thursday’s regional final, had his assignment pushed up a day. Gerber threw 3 2/3 of one-run relief to help stem the tide as fourth-seeded Neuqua Valley won 9-8 over Benet in the first Glenbard South Regional semifinal.

Redwings sophomore Chris Whelan doubled home Billy Tumpane with one out in the fourth to tie the game 6-6 and answer a grand slam by Neuqua Valley’s Dylan Goss an inning earlier, That’s when Neuqua Valley coach Robin Renner gave the ball to Gerber.

“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 four-hit, one-run relief wouldn’t go for naught, the Wildcats’ offense erased three deficits.

Because of Gerber’s solid relief and 13 hits from its offense, Neuqua Valley will go for its second straight summer regional title Thursday morning at 10 against seventh-seeded Naperville Central.

Before going to the mound, Gerber hit a two-run homer in the second inning as an immediate counter to a two-run blast from Benet’s Chris Stout. Both Goss and Tanner Giesel also followed suit with home runs of their own.

Goss’ grand slam to right-center in the third 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 leading off the sixth proved to be the difference.

“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. About the fourth inning, I told (assistant coach John) Fumagalli, ‘Good thing we’re batting last.’”

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.

“Pretty good? Great week. It was a great week all week,” said Benet sophomore assistant coach Bob Gelwicks. “We just ran out (of gas).”      

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