Ashton Stern pitches Johnsburg past North Boone for Skyhawks’ 3rd regional championship

JOHNSBURG — What took place at Johnsburg‘s baseball field Saturday night felt like one of those larger than life, magical moments.

When the Skyhawks’ varsity players hoisted the Class 2A Johnsburg Regional title plaque following their 5-0 win over North Boone, it allowed a small, close-knit community the chance to celebrate after its history of recent struggles in the sport.

The Skyhawks won just five games two seasons ago. And they won just six last season, before unveiling a marvelous new turf field this year, complete with lights to host night games.

Lights that symbolically shined brightly down upon Johnsburg’s players Friday night, none brighter than Skyhawks junior starting pitcher Ashton Stern.

Not only did Stern toss a three-hit, complete-game shutout, but he retired the first 14 batters he faced before his perfect game was broken up with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a bloop single.

“Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking about the perfect game at all,” Stern calmly said after the postgame celebrations. “All that was on my mind was doing my best to finish the game and giving my team the best chance to win.”

It was a win that improved the No. 3-seeded Skyhawks’ record to 23-8, which marks the most wins in program history — and counting.

It also is their first regional championship since 2009, and only their third in the school’s 45-year baseball history.

But just how does such a remarkable, rapid turnaround occur?

“I want to give a ton of credit to my assistant coaches, Ryan Linkletter and Mark Linkletter,” Johnsburg coach Eric Toussaint said. “Ryan graduated from Northern Illinois University last year, and Mark is his dad. Those two know as much about the sport as just about anyone I’ve ever met.

“The confidence and knowledge they’ve brought to our program is nothing short of spectacular. I’m just here for the moral support, I think.”

He then credited his players.

“The kids really bonded and started believing in themselves suddenly,” Toussaint said. “Great coaching or not, this moment doesn’t happen without them putting in the work and being prepared.”

Johnsburg was certainly prepared against second-seeded North Boone (26-7).

Stern helped his own cause immediately with an RBI single in the top of the first.

Which was all the run support he’d need.

Johnsburg tacked on three more runs in the second inning. No. 9 hitter Landon Johnson (1 for 2, sacrifice fly, 2 RBIs) smoked a line drive over the right fielder’s head that one-hopped the fence, scoring Tayden Pinkowski, who reached on an error and stole second moments earlier.

“I’d been hitting in the No. 2 hole for a while this season,” Johnson said. “So having a game like this in the playoffs ... it does wonders for my confidence. All that matters is helping my team win any way possible.”

Not to be outdone, two batters later, his twin brother Riley Johnson ripped an RBI single to right, making it 3-0. One batter later, cleanup hitter Evan Pohl’s RBI single to center extended the lead to 4-0. They later added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly by Landon Johnson in the sixth.

As helpful as Riley Johnson was with his bat, it was his defense at third base that had fans gasping.

Riley Johnson robbed the Vikings’ leadoff hitter of a sure hit on a scorched liner to open the bottom of the first.

Then he kept Stern’s perfect game in tact in the fifth when he made an equally spectacular diving snag to his left, jumped to his feet and uncorked a cannon to first baseman Dom Vallone for the out.

“I slept well before the game last night,” Riley Johnson said. “This morning, my dad made me a nice breakfast sandwich with hash browns, eggs and sausage on it. It sort of set the tone for my day.”

It’s a tone the Skyhawks hope they keep going when they face No. 1 Byron in a Mendota Sectional semifinal at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

“That’s gonna be a huge test for us,” Toussaint said. “In our (one-run) regional semifinal win against Sandwich, we were tight to start the game. Almost as if we were too aware of the pressure instead of just playing and having fun.

“But tonight ... was different. They played loose, smart and aggressive. I don’t know what changed, but we were a different team tonight. Almost as if a light switch got flipped on.”

Literally and symbolically, perhaps, as the Skyhawks remain perfect at home in the playoffs under the lights, in their short school history with them, in what’s turned into an unexpected fairytale season.