Cody Freitas leads Bradley-Bourbonnais to regional title with upset win over Minooka

NORMAL − The Bradley-Bourbonnais baseball team came into the postseason on a six-game losing streak and with a 17-18 record. Minooka entered the postseason with a 10-game winning streak and a 32-3 regular season record, the best in program history.

But in Saturday’s IHSA Class 4A Normal Community West Regional championship, the six-seeded Boilermakers and starting pitcher Cody Freitas showed No. 1 Minooka that the regular season does not matter a whole lot once the playoffs roll around, picking up a 2-1 upset win and claiming their second straight regional crown.

“Just because [Prep Baseball Report] ranks someone really high doesn’t mean they can’t be beat,” Freitas said of Minooka, ranked No. 2 by PBR. “Anyone can be beat, and it all comes down to whoever comes there that day with the most energy, the most fight and wants to whoop someone’s butt.”

Freitas picked up the win, allowing four hits over seven innings to go with five walks and five strikeouts. He also picked up the game-winning hit in the top of the seventh.

Ty Alderson put Bradley-Bourbonnais up 1-0 with a single in the sixth to drive in Keaton Allison, who was courtesy running for Freitas. The lead was short-lived, though, as the Indians got that run back in the bottom of the sixth on a single from Brady Kozlowski that scored Kooper Fisher.

In the top of the seventh, Ajae Konik reached first on a dropped third strike to lead off the inning. After a strikeout, Konik was replaced at first by Mason Shaul on a fielder’s choice for the second out of the inning.

Kason Bynum was hit by a pitch from Minooka’s Brayden Zilis, sending Freitas up to the plate. He hit a line drive into center, allowing Shaul to score from second.

Freitas then came back out to the mound to finish off the upset win for the Boilermakers. After a groundout, a strikeout and a walk, Minooka’s Kevin Bisbee worked a full count with the dangerous Zilis and the top of the order looming on deck.

Frietas caught Bisbee looking on a pitch at the top of the zone, giving the Boilermakers the upset win and sending the team into a dog pile in front of the mound.

“It was just pure happiness,” Freitas said. “Seeing the guys that I love run out there celebrating, it felt likes fireworks were going off inside.”

Alderson, the designated hitter Saturday, said he could not wait to rush the field after the final strike was called.

“Just being able to grab a water bottle and run out there and douse Cody on the mound is just a great feeling,” he said. “I got goosebumps all over. It’s just an awesome feeling to do it again in back-to-back years.”

The Boilermakers will play Normal Community at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the IHSA Class 4A Illinois Wesleyan University Sectional semifinals.

Bradley-Bourbonnais mounted last year’s postseason after posting an underwhelming regular season record of 11-19, but were able to advance all the way to the sectional championship, beating Minooka 3-2 in the regional semifinals along the way, before falling to Edwardsville.

With a 1-0 win in this year’s regional semifinals against Normal Community West on Thursday, and now Saturday’s dramatic win, head coach Brad Schweigert said the team is trying to generate more playoff magic.

“We’re playing like a team, having each other’s back and everybody wants each other to succeed as much as they want to succeed individually, so I think that’s huge,” he said. “Playing in big games all year gives us that experience where we can pull out wins like this. [Minooka] is a great team.”

The Indians had their season come to an end earlier than they expected. It was still a memorable season that not only saw the regular season wins record be broken, but also long-time coach Jeff Petrovic surpass 500 wins for his career.

“It’s been a remarkable season,” Petrovic said. “I talk about teams that I had in the early 2000s, and they kind of laugh at me, ‘coach you’re old and you talk about this team and that team.’ This is a team that I’ll talk about forever. They play the game hard, they’re very close knit. They’re really just a great group of kids and I love them like my own kids.”