Baseball: Downers Grove North rallies with five-run sixth, flips playoff script on Oswego East

BOLINGBROOK – A year ago it was Oswego East that ended Downers Grove North’s record-setting season.

On May 25, the Trojans got their chance to flip the script, albeit with a little help from the Wolves. Scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning while registering only one hit, Downers Grove North captured the Class 4A Bolingbrook Regional championship for the second year in a row with an 8-5 win.

[ Photos: Downers Grove North vs. Oswego East baseball ]

In the sixth, the Trojans (28-7) capitalized on four walks, an error and three wild pitches that scored runs. Edgar Santos had the lone hit – a single – and scored the go-ahead run on one of the wayward pitches.

”That inning was really not usual,” said Michigan State commit Jude Warwick, whose walk scored the tying run. “It was just getting the next guy up to the plate and keeping the line moving.

”This is huge for us. It feels good to knock out the team that got us out last year. We never quit, we never thought we were out of this game. We are excited to see what happens [in the sectional]. Nevertheless, I’m proud of our guys.”

Warwick came on in relief in the sixth to earn the victory, working a 1-2-3 final inning while also notching a hit and the game’s first run in the first inning. That was Downers Grove North’s only tally until the fifth, when trailing 4-1 with two outs, Jimmy Janicki lined a two-run double off the left-field fence.

”This felt great,” said Janicki, who won the regional title last year for the Trojans with a walk-off homer. “We are a very close-bonded team. We knew we could do it. We were talking in the dugout the whole time, it’s only three runs, it’s only three runs. We knew if we kept up the energy, it could happen. And it definitely feels great knocking them out. We have a lot of drive on this team.”

Oswego East (14-21), which knocked off Naperville Central 9-5 in the regional semifinal, knotted the score at 1-1 on a home run by Will Bass, who also singled his first time up.

The Wolves jumped in front with a three-run fifth, the big hit a two-run double by Jacsen Tucker. Mason Palermo followed with a single to score Tucker. The visitors tacked on a run in the sixth on a hit by Andy Lewis.

Jackson Petsche started on the mound for Oswego East and worked 5 1/3 innings.

”Jackson competed,” said Oswego East coach Brian Schaeffer, whose team advanced to the supersectional last spring before losing to eventual state champion Edwardsville. “He did a good job challenging a lineup that is good from top to bottom. We just gave them too many chances in the sixth. They took advantage of the opportunities they had with a little help from us.

”This group has had to deal with adversity throughout the season. But they came every day looking to compete and have fun. It’s a special group.”

The top-seeded Trojans, who received 4 2/3 innings from starter Braylon Tomlinson, advanced to the Plainfield North Sectional where they took on Neuqua Valley on Wednesday.

”We’ve talked about the championship mentality the whole year,” said Downers Grove North coach Kyle Briscoe, whose squad captured its second straight West Suburban Silver title this season. “We’ve had a number of games where we did that [come from behind], though obviously this is a bigger stage. We showed resiliency all year.

”It wasn’t necessarily pretty but we grinded out a win. That’s all you can ask from the guys, win and advance.”