Sent by Chloe Sentman, of course. Her goal in PKs sends Benet past Metea Valley in a Class 3A regional final.
Benet senior midfielder Chloe Sentman's goal in penalty kicks clinched the Class 3A Metea Valley Regional championship game against the host Mustangs on Friday night.
The Redwings won 4-3 in PKs after the teams went scoreless through overtime.
Eighth-seeded Benet (14-6-2) advances to the Naperville North Sectional semifinals on Tuesday, while the season ends for top-seeded Metea Valley (13-6).
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Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Indianapolis Star
Cathedral catcher is eyes, brain behind Irish defense: 'There's nobody better back there'
There's an unspoken language between a catcher, pitcher and the infield that allows Cathedral backstop Bo Cooper to control the defense from behind the plate. All it takes is a look toward first baseman Eli Bennett, and Bennett knows a back-pick may be on. Cooper and Bennett have to be on the same page, but it's up to the pitcher to hit his spot, allowing Cooper to be in position to make the throw to first. Controlling the opposition's running game, calling pitches, corralling balls in the dirt and throwing out runners are all things Cooper does at a high level. His baseball IQ and ability to quickly process the game has the Fighting Irish three wins away from Victory Field and an appearance in the Class 3A state championship. "Me and Eli have been playing together ever since we were 13, so we have that trust and confidence in each other," Cooper said. "He's my eyes from what I can't see out on the field," added pitcher Ethan Dorsey of Cooper. "I've known him since we were little, so we have that bond and trust, I know if he's setting up outside that maybe something is going on because he can see stuff that I don't." During Monday's sectional championship game against Bishop Chatard, Dorsey, Cooper and Bennett executed a perfect back-pick, nabbing a runner who wandered too far off first base, eliminating the Trojans' scoring threat. The play is just one of 21 outs, but it can demoralize the opposition. Cooper took to catching at a young age. He got pointers from his grandparents' neighbor growing up, helping ignite his passion for the position. The 6-foot, 195-pound senior has all the intangibles of a starting catcher, but he had to wait his turn at Cathedral. Cooper played behind former IndyStar Super Team member J.T. Stiner, formerly of UNC-Wilmington, now at Wabash Valley. The two formed a bond during their years together and Cooper credits Stiner with helping him grow as a catcher. "J.T.'s always been awesome. He's a great baseball player and a great dude," Cooper said. "He did a good job with me, just Batman and Robin, taking me under his wing and helping me out. He battled through adversity with some throwing issues, and we became super close throughout that process. "He knew that I loved him, and he loved me, and we were going to do whatever we could to help the team and get after it behind the plate. Making sure that the catching spot was a leadership role, we did our part and did that together." Through 28 games Cooper is batting .354 with 18 RBIs, four doubles, one triple and seven stolen bases. Behind the plate, Cooper has a .979 fielding percentage. He's committed to play at St. Charles Community College in Cottleville, Missouri next season. "There's nobody better back there," Cathedral coach Ed Freije said. "He's been patient for four years and waited his turn to be back there. I couldn't be prouder of a guy. I couldn't tell you a guy I have more trust in back there than him. "He just goes and works; he just goes and plays. That's the kind of kid he is. ... We've got the utmost trust in him, and he's got the utmost trust in himself and that goes a long way."
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
Shea Glotzbach scores twice on dropped third strikes, earns save as Lemont gets past Oak Forest. ‘Found a way.'
Lemont's Shea Glotzbach might want to forget this game, but he will always remember it. The senior third baseman went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts at the plate Thursday. He also made two straight errors in the field and then gave up a run during the only inning that he pitched. And he still was the difference-maker. 'He's one of our best players on our team for a reason,' Lemont coach Brian Storako said of Glotzbach. 'He didn't have a great day at the plate. We all know that. We all saw that. 'But he found a way to make a difference. That's all we ask those kids to do. It they don't have their best day, they have to find a way to make a difference.' On two of those strikeouts, Glotzbach reached on dropped third strikes and scored both times as Lemont survived for a 7-6 win over Oak Forest in a Class 3A St. Laurence semifinal in Burbank. Glotzbach, a Missouri-St. Louis recruit, earned the save by pitching out of a jam in the seventh inning for Lemont (29-7-1), which plays at 11 a.m. Saturday for the sectional title against St. Laurence (33-5), which beat St. Rita 5-0 in the other semifinal on 12 strikeouts by Jimmy Benson and two hits, two runs and two RBIs from Cory Les. Jacob Parr added two hits and three RBIs for Lemont, while Brett Tucker doubled home a pair of runs in the first inning. Nick Reno picked up the pitching win, allowing two runs in five innings. Kevin Sullivan had three hits for Oak Forest (23-14-1). Vince Webber drove in two runs. Even with everything he went through, Glotzbach was happy about Thursday's win. Lemont finished second in the state last spring in Class 3A and was focused on taking another step. 'It's about doing anything to win,' Glotzbach said. 'It's all about winning. It's not about stat padding or anything like that. Me striking out and getting on base — that's all I can do. 'I can't go back and retry, so I have to take my opportunities and make the most out of them.' While Glotzbach was grinding out his unique game, teammate Matthew Devoy pitched an unconventional sixth inning. Devoy, who is also going to Missouri-St. Louis, entered with no outs and two runners on. He struck out the first two batters he faced, hit the next, walked two more and struck out the final batter. 'I executed against the first two hitters,' Devoy said. 'But there was one call that did not go my way and I didn't take it the right way. 'I started to aim my pitches. I short-armed the ball and walked a lot of guys, but I'm just happy that my teammates had my back.' Devoy was impressed with how Glotzbach was able to bounce back from all of the adversity and pin down the victory for Lemont. 'I really knew Shea was going to get it done,' Devoy said of Glotzbach. 'He didn't allow any of the mistakes he made in the entire game affect him on the mound. 'He's always been a stone-cold guy.' Glotzbach's confidence was tested in the fifth inning when he was charged with back-to-back errors. On the next play, he fired a high throw that the 6-foot-5 Parr brought down at first base before a collision with an Oak Forest runner. 'They were just messed up plays and reading the ball wrong,' Glotzbach said. 'I was trying to do too much and was thinking too much. 'I know myself and I know I've been there before, so I knew I could come back and do better.'
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Chicago Tribune
Claire Connelly has been here before. With Mundelein in need of a run, Indiana State commit sprints for one.
Mundelein senior Claire Connelly is used to displaying her power. A four-year starter, the Indiana State recruit is widely known as a slugger with an impressive ability to put the bat on the ball. She hits to all fields and knocks a fair share out of the park. She's also a standout first baseman. On Thursday, Connelly showed something more. In the top of the seventh inning, in her first at-bat since striking out for the first time all season, she hit a long fly ball to right-center field that was misplayed by a Stevenson outfielder, and she hustled all the way to third base. 'I saw both of them coming toward center and just tried to give it my all because it could've been my last at-bat of my high school career,' Connelly said. 'I kept running, and the ball dropped. 'If I didn't run as fast as I did, I would've only gotten to second, so I'm glad I sprinted full speed because it gave me an extra base.' That proved to be particularly important for Mundelein because its next batter, junior Shea Eaman, hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Connelly ran home and scored the only run of a Class 4A Stevenson Sectional semifinal as the fifth-seeded Mustangs upset the top-seeded Patriots 1-0 in Lincolnshire. 'Claire was so determined to take the game over herself because she's done it so many times,' Mundelein coach Heather Ryan said. 'She got fooled once, but she wouldn't let it happen to her again. There was no one else I wanted at bat in that moment. She wanted it so badly.' The Mustangs (23-10), who will play 11th-seeded Loyola in the sectional championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday, and the Patriots (28-4) each had only one hit in the pitchers' duel. Mundelein junior left-hander Sophia Zepeda (9-4) earned the victory, striking out eight and navigating six walks, to keep her team on track for a second straight trip to the state semifinals. Stevenson junior right-hander Ava Potempa (16-3) struck out seven and walked one. 'Sometimes in close games, when no one scores, it comes down to whatever team messes up first,' Stevenson coach Vera Pflugradt said. 'We've done a great job defensively all year. This is a great group of girls, and they bought in and had a great season.' Connelly said her rare strikeout against Potempa may have helped her. 'I think not striking out put a lot of pressure on me to not do it,' she said. 'Once it happened, I was fine, and I thought about my next at-bat. I seemed to be getting more pitches in the zone. I took what I did and was successful.' Ryan said Connelly has a lot to do with the Mustangs being successful. Connelly holds the program record for career RBIs and heads into the sectional final batting .477 with eight doubles, two triples, six home runs, 44 RBIs and 30 runs scored. She also has a .986 fielding percentage. 'Claire is the heart and soul of our team,' Ryan said. 'She's been the constant, someone so reliable throughout the years. She's mentored the younger players and raised the bar of expectations for our whole team. We go as she goes.' Ryan said Connelly helped Zepeda overcome control issues. 'Claire played a complete game today,' Ryan said. 'She played excellent defense and calmed Sophia down. She brings that senior leadership. We've had such an up-and-down season with injuries. She was the face of the team and helped us ride the waves and slumps. 'I was so happy she had the hit and scored the run. It was a great reward for her.' Zepeda said she never doubted whether Connelly would come through in the seventh inning. 'I knew Claire was going to get the job done,' Zepeda said. 'She always comes up big. I was little off today, and my spin was not so great, but she saved us.' Mundelein junior outfielder Kieley Tomas said Connelly is a calming presence for everyone. 'I've been playing with Claire since she was 10 years old,' Tomas said. 'She's always been a player to come through in the big moments. She's a great role model for everyone. She's always positive and tells us to put our best foot out there.' Connelly said she hopes to play three more games for the Mustangs. 'I never thought I would have the career or the seasons I did,' she said. 'But I'm so grateful to my teammates for supporting me.'
