Merrick Sullivan’s ninth-inning blast breaks scoreless tie, leads Benet to win over Burlington Central

MAPLE PARK — All Merrick Sullivan knew was that he wanted to start something.

As the leadoff man for Benet in the top of the ninth inning of a scoreless game against Burlington Central, he knew he had to start the inning off on the right foot.

And on a 1-0 count, he did just that. Just not in the way that he thought.

“I knew off the bat that it was hit hard and going over the leftfielder’s head,” Sullivan said. “I didn’t think it was going out. But soon as I looked up, I saw his back and heard everyone start screaming, and I knew good things had happened.”

Good things had happened indeed.

Sullivan’s go-ahead shot, along with two additional insurance runs, proved to be enough to help the No. 2 Redwings take down the top-seeded Rockets 3-0 in an extra-inning thriller at the Class 3A Kaneland Sectional semifinals.

“All year, we’ve really played in some close games against some really good teams with good pitchers all season long, so we knew we weren’t going to flinch,” Redwings coach Jorge Acosta said. “We were going to keep battling to the final out one way or another. But seeing the ball go over the fence was one of those where I think we were finally able to exhale.”

The Redwings (23-12) will face off against St. Francis in the sectional finals at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Spartans defeated Dixon 14-0 in five innings in their sectional semifinals.

Through the first eight innings of the game, it was a full-on pitchers’ duel between Redwings senior Jake Rifenburg and Rockets senior Chase Powrozek, with neither team giving up an inch. Through those innings, both pitchers had allowed just three hits while also striking out nine batters.

“I could only control what I could control,” said Rifenburg, a Northwestern commit. “I knew that the guy we were facing was a good arm and that it was going to be a pitcher’s duel from the get-go. So my job was just making sure I kept stacking more zeros on the board until we eventually broke through.”

After getting the lead, Rifenburg would toss just one more pitch to get an out in the ninth, before senior Jonathon Rossi closed the door with two strikeouts.

“He’s got to be one of the top pitchers in the state and he’s been doing it for us for the past couple of years,” Acosta said of Rifenburg. “He’s been good all year. You put him in tight spots and he keeps battling and executing his pitches to minimize innings. We knew we were going to get a good effort out of him.”

Despite the loss, Powrozek left it all out on the mound for the Rockets (20-17). The Wisconsin-Parkside commit finished the game allowing six hits and three runs (two earned) while striking out nine in 8+ innings of work.

“He’s thrown the ball great for us all year, and that was no exception,” Rockets coach Kyle Nelson said. “He was great from start to finish. They got just one barrel on him. But man, for most of the game, he just controlled the zone and did whatever he wanted. So super proud of the way he competed.”

The Rockets had their best scoring opportunities in the first and seventh innings, those being the only times they got runners in scoring position before a Rifenburg strikeout ended the threat.

But despite the tough ending to the season, Nelson said he was proud of the growth the team has had over the season, especially with the youth that was put on display.

“I think if you told people at the beginning of the year that we’d have seven sophomores playing up in huge roles and we’d win 20 games and a regional title, I don’t think people would have believed that,” Nelson said. “But the leadership of the seniors were incredible this year. They had to help these young guys out a lot, especially early in the year, and really set the example.

“They got us to this sectional so that we could see this quality competition, so that when these younger guys are playing next year, they’ve seen it. So eventually when we get this done and if we put a trophy on the wall, this group of seniors will be a big reason why.”