Bartlett, Glenbard North and Streamwood all met similar fates in Monday’s Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association playoff games.
Lake Park was the only area team to advance past the first round.

Streamwood

The 11th-seeded Sabres (18-11) blasted Hoffman Estates 11-1 in a play-in game, then absorbed a tough 4-3 loss to No. 6 Hersey in a pair of Prospect Regional games Monday. Each took place at Hersey.

“Mike Diebold pitched a great game,” Streamwood coach Steve Diversey said of the Hersey contest. “We gave up two runs in the first inning and two in the second. We stranded seven guys in the first three innings. It seemed like we were always on the verge of taking the lead.”

Streamwood scored all of its runs in the fourth inning and seemed like it was set up for even more.

“We had two outs and we had Brian (Brauer),” Diversiey said. “I was thinking he’d hit a gap shot or just tattoo the ball. He ended up hitting a blooper back to the pitcher, which is very uncharacterstic. He’s been hitting the ball hard all summer.”

Diebold, a junior, typically keeps the Sabres in the game in each outing and Monday was no exception.

“Of their four runs,” Diversiey said, “I think only one was earned. Mike gave us what he always gives us. He’s always right around the plate and gives us a chance to make plays.”

Streamwood polished off Hoffman Estates by the 10-run rule and had to wait 1 1/2 hours until its game against Hersey. The game ended in a unique manner. With runners on first and third in the fifth inning and Brauer at the plate, Diversey instructed baserunner Tim Cohen to start walking toward second base.

“The pitcher panicked, and balked,” Diversey said. “Brauer started walking off the field and the umpire told him, ‘That’s just a ball.’ I had to tell him, ‘Blue, the game’s over.’ ”
It was over not long after it started. Streamwood staked itself to a 5-0 lead in the first inning.

“Eight kids came up to the plate,” Diversey said. “We were kind of stifled in the second and third innings, they got one back and then we came back with five more in the fourth.”

Tim Martin, who was a reliever this spring, was the winning pitcher.

“I was taking a gamble, since he’s our No. 3 pitcher,” Diversey said. “If we got through Monday, I wanted to have (left-hander) Josh Harris for Monday. Tim wasn’t overpowering, but he was effective. He’s matured nicely.”

Outfielders Darric Thompson and Dylan Noncek as well as Cohen and fellow sophomore Nick Pryor, who split time at catcher, emerged during the summer season.

Streamwood played a challenging schedule that pitted it against teams from Leyden to DeKalb. The Sabres’ victims included Wheaton North, which returns all three starting pitchers from a team that placed fourth in Class 4A during the spring.

“I told the kids that, going into next year, we’re in a unique situation,” Diversey said. “We return quite a few starters and are pretty solid all around. It’s time for them to show that they deserve to be there. We’re really gong to focus hard in the offseason.

“They believe and they know. In the teams where we played our (best lineup), we didn’t have too many close games. We were pretty much in control. We have a tough conference, but I’d like to finish in the top four and get out of our regional.”

Glenbard North

The No. 9 Panthers (19-13-1) fought hard to overcome a five-run first inning from No. 8 Fremd. They twice pulled within a run, but the Vikings ultimately pulled away for a 12-8 win in a first-round Prospect Regional game Monday at Fremd.

“It started out like we were overmatched,” Glenbard North coach Mike Franzen said. “They came out hard, but we came back after we realized we could play with them.”
Fremd scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to put some separation between itself and Glenbard North after the Panthers had closed within 8-7.

“We had bases loaded and scored a run in the top of the seventh,” Franzen said, “but we couldn’t catch up. But the way we came back was a really positive thing.”

A base hit and a walk set up shortstop Steve Cocat for an RBI single. Cocat, a key force in Glenbard North’s run to the DuPage Valley Conference title last spring, finished with three hits.

“Steve had an unbelievable summer,” Franzen said. “He hit around .700 and it wasn’t balls that happened to find spots. He hits everything hard.”

A sacrifice fly from Steve Friedberg and a two-out base hit from Chris Cleiva brought the Panthers within 5-3 after three innings. Glenbard North manufactured another run in the fourth, which scored on a fielder’s choice.

By the fifth inning, Fremd had re-established a comfortable lead. Trailing 8-4, the Panthers responded with a two-out rally. Cocat, who was shutting the Vikings down as a reliever, drove in the first run and Friedberg produced a two-RBI double. A sharp single by Cocat drove in the seventh run in the seventh inning.

“They were scoring runs, but they couldn’t shut us down,” Franzen said.

Glenbard North enjoyed a succesfful summer, but Franzen sees a need for more pitching depth by next spring.

“We exposed a few weaknesses,” Franzen said of the Panthers’ schedule. “We really need to shore up our pitching, in the sense of having more consistency. We have a good nucleus to build from, and that’s a positive.

“Our hitting came out at the end (last spring) but at times, we really struggled offensively. We really hit the ball well this summer, and that’s encouraging. Our defense got better. It was pretty rough in the beginning, but they stepped up a level. We definitely have some nice things to build on, but we have things we need to work on.”

Bartlett

The Hawks led by a run entering the bottom of the seventh inning Monday at St. Charles North, but were buried by an avalanche. Conant put together a 10-run rally to end Bartlett’s season 18-9.