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Brother Rice baseball in Final Four Submitted by Tim Moran on Fri, 06/08/2007 - 5:41pm.

Junior Tom Hickey came through for the Crusaders

The Brother Rice High School Crusaders Baseball team defeated Dundee Crown High School 9-8 in the quarterfinals of the IHSA State playoffs at Silver Cross Field on Friday, June 8. The victory earns the Crusaders a berth in the state semifinals against top ranked New Trier Township.

Despite only having two active seniors on the team's roster, the Crusaders qualified for the IHSA Playoffs for the first time since 1983. A 7-3 victory over Minooka on June 4 at Hawkinson Ford Field guaranteed them their spot.

While the Crusaders field an incredibly young team, Dundee Crown had much experience on the field as they have 10 seniors on their active roster.

After a scoreless first inning, things got off on the wrong foot for Brother Rice. In the top of the second, Dundee Crown sent eight runners to the plate and scored four of them. Second baseman Cory Henry doubled in leftfielder Jack Lococo to score the first run. The final run of the inning was scored on a successful squeeze play that scored designated hitter Eric Barber.

Jack Lococo rounds third on his way home giving Dundee Crown an early lead.

After failing to get a hit in the second inning off Charger ace pitcher Kenny Long, the Crusaders exploded in the bottom of the third inning. A triple from sophomore outfielder Bob Schuchbegan an inning which saw the Crusaders send 10 runners to the plate and scored six runs. A double from sophomore outfielder Kevin Koehler scored Schuch for their first run.

"It's a matter of getting our first hit. That triple really got us going," remarked Brother Rice Head Coach Tim Lyons.

Koehler was then singled in by junior second baseman Mike McQuillan, who later scored on a wild pitch. Junior outfielder Doug Schumacher singled in freshman Kevin Koziol to knot the game at 4. A two-run double from first baseman Tom Hickey gave the Crusaders a 6-4 lead. A fly out from Schuch ended the six-run inning that he got going.

Dundee Crown proved to be no pushover, as they tied the game up the next frame in the top of the fourth. A groundout by junior Mike Zozokos scored a run and the Chargers tied it as senior Josh Pasek singled in senior Nate Parman.

Before the Chargers could get a single Crusader out in the bottom of the fourth, Brother Rice had already taken a 9-6 lead, which they would never relinquish. An RBI single from junior third baseman Cameron Anello scored McQuillan for the final Crusader run of the game.

However, with nobody out and runners on first and second, the Crusaders could not add to their lead. At this point, Dundee finally pulled Long, and replaced him with number two starter Brad Kerkman. Kerkman's first motion was a balk, which advanced the runners to second and third, but then went 1-2-3 with the rest of the Crusader lineup for that inning. Kerkman did not give up a hit for the rest of the ballgame, but their offense came up just short.

Hickey tags out this Charger runner.

In the top of the fifth, Koziol came in to pitch for Brother Rice and allowed two baserunners that both scored after the Crusaders brought in lefthanded pitcher Patrick Gannon. Gannon's wild pitch scored Lococo and Henry's groundout scored outfielder Vince Camarata. Gannon did preserve the 9-8 lead.

Brother Rice failed to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth even though they had a baserunner on second.

When the Chargers took the field in the top of the seventh, the entire season was on the line for both squads. Senior infielder Elliot Soto, who was drafted by Major League Baseball during the game, led off the inning for the Chargers with a single. A good catch by Schuch accounted for the first out of the inning, but Soto did make it to third base after stealing second and advancing on a groundout by Camarata. However, Soto failed to score as Gannon struck out the final Charger batter.

"Pat has got guts and is one of our toughest pitchers," remarked Lyons following the game.

The victory improved the Crusaders overall record to 29-10 as Dundee Crown ends their season with a 28-8 mark.

This game was not out of the norm for Brother Rice as they have been involved in a number of high schoring ballgames throughout the season. Fifteen times this season Brother Rice has scored in double digits.

"We're a bit used to this kind of ballgame," said Lyons.

Up next for Brother Rice is Tournament favorite New Trier Township. They will play tomorrow morning(June 9) at 9 a.m. at Silver Cross Field in Joliet, IL. New Trier enters the contest with an impressive record of 35-3-1.

The Crusaders enter the field after the victory.

The two teams congratulating each other on great seasons.

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