Marmion took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of Thursday's reginoal semifinal game at St. Charles East.

That was as good as it got for the Cadets. From there it got much better for Bartlett's Hawks.

Greg Partyka's RBi single tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first, which seemed to get the Hawks rolling in all phases of the game.

Alex VanNess robbed Marmion of a go-ahead home run when he tracked a ball to the left field fence and jumped up to snatch the ball as it was going out of the park. David Palma had a highlight reel play in the third, making a diving catch on a ball hit into the gap in right field.

In the bottom of the third Mike Mancuso belted a solo home run and Tucker Erickson scored on a throwing error to put the Hawks ahead 3-1.

After Marmion cut the deficit to 3-2, Partyka made the Cadets pay for two walks by blasting a three-run homer to the opposite field. VanNess and George Tintera had RBi hits in the fifth as the Hawks went ahead 8-3. Tucker Erickson added a two-run shot late in the game to cap Bartlett's scoring.

The Hawks (21-12) will now face Wheaton North, the sectional's top seed, in the regional championship game at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Falcons were state semifinalists last year and return a strong nucleus of players who contributed to the fourth place finish in 2008.