Latest news with #Lemont
Chicago Tribune
4 hours ago
- Sport
- 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
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Alongside his dad, Mickey Lotus leads St. Laurence to Do It Stevie's Way Tournament title. ‘This means a lot.'
Mickey Lotus has watched several Do It Stevie's Way Tournaments from the stands. His dad, St. Laurence coach Pete Lotus, had been 0-3 in championship games before Saturday night. Mickey, a junior second baseman who's excelling in his first season as a varsity starter for the Vikings, was thrilled to help his dad finally get over that hump. 'It makes me so happy to see him win this,' Mickey said. 'I know he wanted this so bad. I'm happy we could get this done for him.' Mickey drove in two runs and scored another Saturday as the Vikings rolled to a 10-1 win over Lemont in the Do It Stevie's Way Tournament championship game at Ozinga Field in Crestwood. Adrian Perez went 2-for-3 with three RBIs for St. Laurence (29-5). Louisville recruit Cory Les added a double, three runs and an RBI, while Danny Donovan finished 2-for-4 with a run. Jimmy Benson, a Lemont resident, threw a complete game for the Vikings. He struck out five and allowed one earned run on six hits and two walks. 'It was against my hometown team and I know all the sophomores and juniors over there,' Benson said. 'So, I definitely wanted to go out there and do my best.' Oakton commit Zach Corse came up with an RBI single for Lemont (27-7-1). Zane Schneider singled and scored, while Missouri-St. Louis recruit Matt Devoy finished with a single and a walk. St. Laurence's first tournament title, meanwhile, was extra special for the Lotus family. Pete played baseball with Mark Bajenski, who runs the tournament in honor of his late son, Stevie, who was a senior baseball player at Mount Carmel in 2009 when he died at the age of 17 following complications from surgery to repair a heart defect. 'I've known 'Baj' for a long time,' Pete said. 'We played together in the summers. I'd hang around with Stevie, playing catch with him. They had a great father-son relationship and that was before I had kids, so I thought it was really cool. 'I've always appreciated this tournament and the message, and this means a lot.' Listening to Mark Bajenski speak about his son after the game, the significance of being on the field together as father and son wasn't lost on either Lotus. 'Seeing my dad kind of tearing up out there, it's definitely special,' Mickey said. 'It means a lot to him and it means a lot to me, as well.' Mickey and Pete said they were both a bit nervous about how this season together would go. But both are enjoying it. 'It's been good,' Mickey said. 'He tries to treat me just like any other player on this team and I think he does a good job of that. If he says something to me, I try to take it like it's just coming from a regular coach and not my dad.' Mickey was hit by a pitch and scored during a three-run first inning for St. Laurence. He later added a pair of RBI groundouts. Mickey is now hitting .505 with 46 runs and 21 RBIs, silencing anyone who doubted he belonged in the varsity lineup. 'I definitely hear people talk about how I only play because he's my dad, but I think it's quite the opposite,' Mickey said. 'I think he's hard on me and I have to earn it. 'I try to block that stuff out. It doesn't really matter to me. But for sure, I like to prove them wrong.' For Mickey, putting on the St. Laurence jersey every day is still a surreal feeling. 'It's an honor for me,' he said. 'Before every game, I'm so grateful to have this opportunity. I talk about it all the time. I watched this growing up and always dreamed about it and now this is the time. 'It's definitely awesome.'
CBS News
15-05-2025
- CBS News
Metra service disrupted by Amtrak accident in Lemont, Illinois
Metra service to Chicago's southwest suburbs was disrupted Thursday afternoon due to an accident involving an Amtrak train and a car. The accident happened in downtown Lemont. Details of what happened were not immediately learned. The accident impacted the Metra Heritage Corridor Line to Joliet. It was unclear whether anyone was hurt. CHECK: Metra updates
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Around the Southland: Lemont students' drafting skills lauded, Master Chorale sets performance, more
After showing off their drafting skills, Lemont High School students were awarded three medals at the 2025 Illinois Design Educators Association state competition at Illinois State University in Normal. Junior Mirella Miazga was runner-up in Architectural Board, junior Hubert Bydlon won third for Introductory Board and senior Rowyn Page earned third for Architectural Board. Miazga was state runner-up in Introductory Board last year. To earn a spot in the competition, Miazga won first in Architectural Board, continuing the winning streak in regionals that Lemont has enjoyed since 2014. Page was runner-up in Architectural Board, and Bydlon was a regional winner in Introductory Board. The top two students in individual regional competitions go on to the state contest; first-place finishers in team events do as well. Lemont has had at least one IDEA state qualifier for the last 17 of 18 years under the helm of teacher Scott Duensing. South Holland Master Chorale presents 'Requiem' by Maurice Durufle at 4 p.m. May 18 at Thorn Creek Reformed Church, 1875 E.170th St., South Holland. Admission is free but donations will be accepted. The piece, finished in 1947 by the French organist and composer, is based on the Catholic Mass for the Dead in Gregorian chant. The 70-voice chorale will be accompanied by an organist and a chamber orchestra. Other selections are Mozart's hymn 'Misericordias Domini,' written when the composer was 19; 'Echo' by contemporary American composer Rob Dietz; and 'Cantique de Jean Racine,' created by French composer Gabriel Faure when he was 19. Chamber members will travel to Carnegie Hall in New York in June to sing Fauer's 'Requiem' as part of a performance with choirs from Canada, Europe and the United States. Thanks to its eighth-grade Flossmoor Veterans' Time Machine local history program, Flossmoor Veterans' Memorial has won a Best of Illinois History award in public and educational programming for 2024 from the Illinois State Historical Society. The project, done with Flossmoor School District 161's Parker Junior High School, offered seven days of local history class work focusing on the role Flossmoor veterans have played, especially five World War II service personnel who died and one WWII prisoner of war. The students also learned about Vietnam Lt. Col. Jeffrey Lemon, whose plane was shot down over Laos in 1971; Fireman Apprentice Darryl Dushon Edwards, Homewood-Flossmoor High School's first Black serviceman who died in a peacetime accident in the South China Sea; and Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Jude Murphy, who died Sept. 11, 2001, in the attack on the Pentagon. Retired Flossmoor Mayor Paul Braun, the organization's president, and Kristine Condon, its secretary-treasurer, met with district faculty in the fall of 2024 to talk about the curriculum. About 300 eighth-grade and seventh-grade humanities students participated in the program in October, completing a report, project, interview or other artifact showing their new knowledge, and designed and decorated custom walls of honor. The award was presented last month at a luncheon the historical society hosted in Springfield. Construction of the Flossmoor Veterans' Wall of Honor is expected to start soon. Information is at The Matteson Area Public Library District and Pathlights have teamed up to offer Memory Cafe, a social gathering for people living with dementia and other forms of cognitive impairment and their care partners. The next session is 2 to 3 p.m. May 20 at the library, 801 School Ave., Matteson. The program is available every third Tuesday of the month. Registration is required at or by calling 708-748-4431. The program offers engaging activities such as music, travel and art and allows participants to enjoy time together with a goal of decreasing the social isolation that can accompany caregiving and dementia. Heritage Quilters Guild of South Suburbia will host a meeting at 7 p.m. May 20 at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 651 E. 166th St., South Holland. After the business meeting, the group will hear a lecture on Victorian undergarments, presented by Chris Moline. A sewing bee starts at 5 p.m. for members who want to gather before the meeting. Information is at The Wolf Lake Bi-State Wetlands, Wind & Water festival, celebrating its 25th year, starts at 9 a.m. May 24 with a mile walk between Wolf Lake and Powderhorn Lake and back. The Association for the Wolf Lake Initiative sponsors the event. The group's president, Phil Willink, will lead the walk from 133rd and Avenue K south to 136th Street and east of Avenue K and back again. A half-mile-long underground system has been engineered to prioritize safe passage that serves a diverse aquatic ecosystem. Between 2021 and 2024, more than 100 acres of wetlands were restored. A second event of the Wetlands festival, a hike, begins at 2 p.m. at the entrance to the Mitigation Wetlands in Hammond. It lies a block west of 129th Street and Sheffield Avenue. Park bikes and cars near the entrance. Joe Kruczek, director of this year's cleanup of the Wolf Lake Watershed, will lead the hike, a tour of wildflowers, sedges, and shrubs and spring activity of water fowl and small animals. Participants should wear long pants, sturdy shoes and long-sleeved shirts. Online registration is required for both events by May 22 and can be done at Palss Park police officers will once again participate in the annual Cop on Rooftop fundraiser for Special Olympics from 5 a.m. to noon May 16 at Dunkin Donuts, 13029 S. LaGrand Road, Palos Park. Money raised by donors giving money to officers on the ground will benefit the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Illinois. The run is an intrastate relay with more than 3,000 police officers covering 1,500 miles.
Chicago Tribune
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Claire Podrebarac hits home run off Lemont's scoreboard. Surprise, surprise. ‘Didn't think that ball was going out.'
When Lemont's Claire Podrebarac was making noise on the grade school level and with her travel team, she went to watch the local high school softball team play a few games. She got to see the 2022 and 2023 Class 3A state championship teams — led by Division I pitcher Sage Mardjetko — show off their skills. And she was a bit wide-eyed at what she observed. 'I was like, 'Oh, my, I don't know if I could ever get to that level,''' Podrebarac said. 'But I knew I was going to try.' She's already reached that level. As a freshman. In her home varsity debut, the rookie second baseman blasted two home runs, including one that hit the right field scoreboard, to lift Lemont to a 14-2 South Suburban Blue win over Tinley Park. The five-inning game, which was moved due to field conditions, also featured Natalie Pacyga with three hits and two RBIs for host Lemont (4-2, 1-0). Jessica Pontrelli drove in two runs and Caroline Painter scored twice. Senior pitcher Sydney Kibbon (2-1) struck out eight and allowed three hits. Loyola recruit Megan Piotrowski hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Tinley Park (3-5, 0-2). Emily Nuskiewicz added a double. Lemont, however, batted around in a five-run third. Podrebarac led off with a home run off the scoreboard, which was put in last season. Alli Pawlowicz, now at Loyola, also did that last spring. 'I didn't think that ball was going out,' Podrebarac said. For good measure, she then led off a seven-run sixth with a homer over the left field fence. 'I'm so proud and so happy for her,' Kibbon said of Podrebarac. 'It shows how much potential we have. She's a great aspect to the team and has so much to offer in team hitting and fielding. 'She did fantastic.' Podrebarac is proud to be in the mix right away for Lemont, a young team with three freshmen and two sophomores on the roster. 'I was so excited to find out I was playing varsity,' she said. 'At first, I was a little nervous on what the girls would be like and I was scared I might not be accepted. 'But they have been great and I'm happy to be here.' Lemont also is happy to be home after a spring trip that produced a 2-1 record in three games. The team also went to see Tennessee play and had the chance to reunite with Mardjetko, who's now pitching for the Volunteers after starting out at South Carolina. In its first six games, Lemont has actually used four pitchers, including Podrebarac and fellow freshman Mila Mardjetko, Sage's younger sister. Still, Lemont coach Christine Traina likes the experience and leadership Kibbon has displayed. Kibbon is going to Auburn and plans on staying with softball, although she won't be playing. 'I'm going to be a student-manager for the softball team,' Kibbon said. 'It's a different aspect of softball. I'll be doing front toss, hitting grounders, pitching in practice. I'm really excited for that.' Podrebarac, meanwhile, is wasting little time making a great first impression at the school. She was named a Student of the Month in November by the science department. She also played varsity basketball. And she opened the softball season hitting .571. 'She'll play second base and do a little pitching for us,' Traina said of Podrebarac. 'We looked at her and thought she could help us out on the varsity. We've known about her. 'We didn't see a lot of her before she came here, but it was good to have her walking in the door.' Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
